Majority Opinions
by jane1229
Summary: My own version of GH, in which I tend to pair their characters with mine. It is a continuation of Minority Opinions. Some families are simplified. Alexis is the full sister of Stefan and the Quartermaines are full siblings no Jason Morgan
1. Alexis' Wedding

The Jacks brothers were at the Outback with their fiancées.

"Are you going to change your name to Jacks?" Jax asked Alexis. Jerry and Alexis were getting married the next day.

"Personally I will change it for sure," Alexis said. "Professionally, I have a dilemma. I've been known as a lawyer as Davis for twenty years or more. Even so, using my ex-husband's name, when we were married such a short time, so long ago, no kids, seems incredibly dumb, even professionally, when I'm married to someone else. So I think I will hyphenate it for awhile, then hope it gets known and drop Davis then."

"Funny you didn't just use Cassidine professionally, before," Jerry said to his fiancée.

"I must have thought it would last," Alexis said. "How young I was. You'll have the same problem, Oksana," Alexis said to Jax's fiancée. "You've been in business forever with your name."

"I use the first more than the last," Oksana said. "I can do it, I think."

"She just wants to get rid of her unpronounceable Russian last name," Jax grinned, and put his arm around Oksana's shoulder.

"I want to get rid of my ex-husband's name, when I am married to another," said Oksana, looking up at him.

"Just like me," Alexis said.

"Yes," said Oksana. "My sons can carry on their father's name."

"They can carry on Smith," Jax laughed.

Oksana had two sons by her ex-husband, Sergei. They were named Aleksander, who had become known as Zander in Port Charles, and Peter. Zander had called himself Zander Smith before Alexis had tracked down his family and found out his real name.

"Alexis Cassidine Davis-Jacks," Jerry said, looking at Alexis. "It will do."

Alexis took Jerry's hand and said, "It will."

"I'm glad you're doing it at all," Jerry said. "I could imagine you staying a Cassidine your whole life, no matter who you married."

"Our baby," Alexis said, "Is going to be a Jacks. Is it some kind of law the first name of a Jax must also start with J?" Alexis was expecting her first child, and was very happy about it and about the paternal family it would belong to.

"Makes it easier to pick a name," said Jax. "Jeremiah, Jedediah, Jehosephat."

"I don't think so," Alexis smiled.

The wedding was being held in the garden outside of Windermere, the Cassidine home, which was on an island in the lake.

Alexis spent the night there, a thing she had not done in ages.

Her oldest brother was to give her away, since her father and mother were both deceased.

Her family was always formal and proper. The father of the bride was deceased. Therefore, her eldest brother did the honors.

Alexis would have preferred Zander, but sometimes there was no way around tradition. Zander had been working for her as her assistant ever since he had gotten himself out of the life of crime he had originally been headed for. His family coming to Port Charles had stabilized his life. He was almost through with college and was even married, to the nurse who had taken care of him at General Hospital when he had been shot, the nurse who had helped Alexis track down his family.

At first the doctors had been eager to find out about Zander's medical history, due to some irregular heartbeats he had had during surgery. Zander had resisted, and refused to tell them anything. Then Alexis, with some help from the Port Charles Police Department and the FBI, found out about Zander's past. Their looking had tipped off detectives Oksana had working to find Zander. She had come from Florida to Port Charles. Eventually, she had moved there with her younger son Peter, and Zander had seen his father again, too. A family reunion had become possible.

Likewise, her preferred maid of honor was Quinn, Zander's wife. Alexis settled instead for Quinn and Zander as bridesmaid and usher, because naturally Jerry's best man had to be Jax, and so Oksana had fit better as the maid of honor.

But they'd be there. That was what mattered to Alexis. Along with her stuffy brother Stefan, her nephew Nikolas, and Nikolas' wife, Gia.

The ceremony was very formal. Alexis almost laughed. But to her it only mattered that she would be married to the man she had fallen in love with, over time, and exposure to each other's company, which Zander and Quinn had done much to bring about, thinking themselves matchmakers.

But they were good matchmakers, Alexis thought.

Stavros was solemn as he walked her up the little aisle. Alexis was all smiles. Jerry's mother, Jane, smiled back at her fondly, and his father, John, was looking at her almost proudly.

Alexis smiled inwardly when Stavros answered the minister's question to give her away. She felt like she was being released from the darkness into the light.

The reception was lovely. Nikolas' wedding had been there, too, and it had been at that wedding that Jerry and Alexis had first danced together, and where Alexis had introduced Jax to Oksana.

"You look lovely, Alexis," Stefan said to his younger sister.

"Thank you Stefan," she said. She turned to see V. Ardanowski, a police detective who had helped Alexis and Quinn in their search for Zander's family, standing there to congratulate her.

"Thank you, V., I'm so glad you're here," Alexis said. "Do you know my brother?"

"No," V. said. "Can't say I've had the pleasure.

Stefan bowed his head in a formal manner he had learned from childhood. Alexis introduced them, wondering if V. was going to start laughing at the formality of his manners.

V. didn't seem to mind.

Jerry came up to claim Alexis for another dance. Stefan, left with V., asked her, too.

As they danced, V. asked Stefan, "What does a person do all day when they are so rich you don't have to work?"

He smiled politely. "There are still many things to manage," he said.

Dara Jenson danced with Stavros, after Alexis introduced him. She had worked opposite Dara so many years, Alexis was amazed that Dara had not met her family before. Somehow it seemed unnatural.

Detective Marcus Taggart cut in.

"I just thought you needed to be rescued," he said to Dara.

"He's very nice," Dara said. "It's just that he's got - a wall up somehow. Unfailingly polite. But you don't learn anything about him."

"Alexis isn't like her brothers," Taggart said.

"No, she isn't," Dara agreed.

Alexis went to throw her bouquet. Oksana had caught that of Quinn, her own daughter in law. Now she was, in fact, engaged to Jax.

Oksana said she'd stay out of it. She lifted up her left hand. "I already got engaged," she said. There was a lot of laughter.

"You may as well hand it to her, Alexis," Taggart said. "She's getting married next, for sure."

"That's why she's out," Alexis said. She threw the bouquet. She turned to see it land right in V's arms.

"I've caught these before," V. said, laughing. "And it has never worked."

Later, Jerry threw the garter and Stefan caught it. "I've caught these before," he said, his eyes lit up, looking at V.

V. smiled. He had a sense of humor in a pinch, she thought.


	2. The Webber Family

Jeff Webber was a pediatrician who had started out at Port Charles General Hospital, but then left his hometown of Port Charles. He had gone on staff at a hospital in Colorado City, Colorado, and there had met Jennifer, another doctor, who was an EENT. They had gotten married and raised two daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth. But when the girls were in high school, they had felt called to go and help out in Bosnia.

They had planned for the girls to to Port Charles for the summer, where they would stay with their grandmother, Audrey Hardy. When it came to be time for school, the girls would go back to Colorado to attend a boarding school.

But once there, the girls had asked if they could stay in Port Charles and go to Port Charles High School. Since they were changing schools anyway, and this way they would be living with their grandmother, and Audrey was willing to keep them, the Webbers had agreed. It had been Sarah's idea, and the Webbers had developed a trust in their elder daughter's instincts and decisions.

Sarah graduated from Port Charles High School, and then went on to London, where she went to college and medical school. Elizabeth seemed to be fine in Port Charles. She graduated from PCHS and then enrolled at Port Charles University, majoring in art.

Elizabeth had gotten married last year, to the surprise of the rest of her family. They had expected Elizabeth to take longer to settle down. Not only that, but she was not marrying Lucky Spencer, her on-and-off boyfriend since high school, or Jason Quartermaine, a young doctor she had dated when she was on the outs with Lucky, but another doctor, a psychiatrist named Paul Whitman.

When they got to Port Charles, Jeff and Jennifer from Bosnia, and Sarah from London, they met Paul and liked him right off.

At Elizabeth's bacherlorette party, the girls had gone to the opening of a new club, the London Underground, in the space beneath Kelly's Diner. An out of town businessman had somehow gotten hold of the property and opened the club. When the limo dropped the girls off, and they had all gotten out and were standing outside, Skye Quartermaine had backed her Mercedes up without looking, right into the crowd. The girls from Elizabeth's wedding party were at the center, unfortunately, of this impact.

Elizabeth had not been injured, nor had Patti, Paul's sister. But Patti's daughter Taryn, and Sarah, had been injured. Sarah had, of all the victims, the most severe and serious injuries.

Elizabeth's wedding was postponed; she couldn't have it without Sarah. When Sarah was finally released from the hospital, she had still been rather weak, but had insisted on carrying out her role as maid of honor.

At that point, Jeff and Jennifer decided it was too much for them to go back to Bosnia and have Sarah back in London. They toyed with the idea of going to London, but it had been easier for them to go on staff at Port Charles General Hospital and for Sarah to transfer to Port Charles University Medical School than it would have been for the elder Webbers to try to get on staff at a British hospital. Another consideration was that they would be near Elizabeth, and after years of separation around the world, it was nice to have the whole family together again, and added to that was the bonus of being in the same town where Jeff's late father had been head of the hospital, and his stepmother, who had always acted as a full grandmother to the girls, still lived and was still the head of nursing.

Jeff had felt a little awkwardness upon seeing some of his former flames around the hospital, but so much time had passed since those flings, that it soon faded and was no longer an occasion for embarrassment.

To make the family even more complete, Paul Whitman, their new son-in-law, was on staff at the same hospital, and now Sarah was, too. Sarah had made a good recovery, though she still needed therapy and was still not able to do everything she had been able to do before, like horseback riding and skiing. Sarah still felt stiff at times, but she was doing well. She had a new apartment. She was considering her options for her medical specialty and the medical staff held her in high regard. She was even dating someone.

Sarah had invited everyone over for dinner one evening. Both of her parents, her grandmother, Elizabeth and Paul were there. Sarah cooked, and she'd decorated with flowers and candles, and everyone duly admired the work she had done for her first little dinner party.

Sarah had one of her sister's paintings on the wall. It was called "The Wind," and, after getting a mediocre grade on it, Elizabeth had decided to take it out of her collection and give it to Sarah.

Most of Elizabeth's paintings were in a private museum that Elizabeth and another artist, V. Ardanowski, (who was also a police detective, in an unlikely combination of endeavors), had developed. It was in an old abandoned boxcar that Elizabeth's former boyfriend, Lucky, had used to live in as a teenager whenever his parents drove him crazy.

After dinner, everyone sat in the living room area, drinking coffee and tea. Sarah had decorated the apartment very nicely. She had a lot of money at her disposal, because her case against Skye Quartermaine had been settled.

"I'm so glad you're all here," Sarah said. "It's nice to be able to do this, isn't it, Gran?"

"Very nice," Audrey said. "Elizabeth and I missed you all very much."

"They always talked about you whenever we got together," Paul said, grinning at the Webbers.

"So you know all of our faults already, Paul," Jeff said, jokingly. "No wonder you are able to put up with us so easily."

"I'm happy you are all here, though it started out with Sarah's injury," Paul said.

"If it had to happen, better here than in London," Sarah said. "At least it has had a good effect on my life too."

"Having your family in the same town," Elizabeth said. "Then there's you new boyfriend. But he's not here."

"This is the first time all of you are here, at my place," Sarah said. "I'll save that for later."

"Oh, poor Elizabeth," said Jennifer. "We were always gone, so you never had that period of time where you aren't ready yet to have your parents meet the guy you're dating."

"There was no such time, in my case," Elizabeth said. "I would have had you meet Paul right away. Same with Lucky or Jason. I don't have to be engaged to them to have them meet you."

"You still wouldn't do it after your first date, Liz," Sarah said.

"This has been going on for awhile now," Elizabeth observed.

"I didn't take your father to meet my parents forawhile," Jennifer said. "Sarah can't have been dating her young man as long yet."

Elizabeth only coughed and looked at Sarah.

"He's young to Dad and I, and Gran!" Jennifer said, laughing.

"Oh, you know," Elizabeth said. "How much older he is than she is."

"Yes, and about the daughter as old as she is," Jeff said.

"Almost as old," Sarah said. "Two years younger."

"Your grandfather was older than I," Audrey said.

Sarah smiled at her grandmother.

A little while later, Sarah's cell phone rang. She went over to the counter and looked at it. "It's the hospital," she said. "I have to take it. Talk among yourselves."

Jennifer laughed. She and Sarah had a common passion for Jane Austen, and Jennifer knew that Sarah was referring to someone from a movie of one of the Austen novels that they had seen, where a hostess left her guests telling them to talk among themselves.

Sarah went into her bedroom. The caller ID said it was Duane. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she just wasn't ready to tell her family he was calling, perhaps because of the discussion they had just had in the living room, so she had told the white lie that it was the hospital.

She closed her bedroom door and plopped down on the bed on her stomach, like a teenager. Then she was sorry. Her hip injury told her that was a bad move.

"I'm glad you called," she said.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just hit my bed really fast," she said. "My injury - it didn't work out."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. It just doesn't do to fall face down onto this bed, for now."

"Why are you in there?"

"I have Mom and Dad and Gran and Elizabeth and Paul here for dinner."

"I'm sorry I interrupted."

"It's a welcome interruption," she said. "I could see it was you on the phone. So I came in here and shut the door, so don't worry about what I say. Like how I like this bed better with you in it than with just me and you on the phone."

"I'm glad they can't hear that," he said, drily. He told her that he was in Detroit for a deposition and that it had not been finished at the end of the day Friday, as he had thought. They were going to continue with it, in order to get it over with, on Monday. In the meantime, he was stuck there on the weekend.

"I'm real sorry to hear that," Sarah said. "What a place to be stuck. I've never been there. But it sounds pretty dull."

"It's pretty dull," he said. "Do you want to come out here?"

She was taken by surprise. Then she was really pleased. "I'll call the airlines," she said.

"No, I wouldn't ask you to do that, Sarah," he said. "I know a guy who has a charter airline. I'll call him."

"You're going to a lot of trouble to get me out there," Sarah said. "I'm very pleased with you."

"I like you very much, too."

She smiled to herself. "I'll wait to hear from you," she said.


	3. Romantic Weekend Odd Place

Jackson Delaney, a charter pilot, was flying a woman to Detroit. He got the job from Duane Edwards, a trial lawyer. Jackson had no guess as to the reason for the flight, but with Duane Edwards, you could never tell. She might be a witness, one of his assistants, another lawyer, an expert witness, a translator – all sorts of possibilities.

She was full of curiosity about the plane. Soon he learned her name was Sarah Webber, and that she was a doctor. Duane Edwards was always deposing doctors. Usually he went to them. But this one might be a consultant.

"You look young to be a consultant," he said.

"Oh, I'm young for that, too," she laughed.

"What else are you too young for? Not much."

"Why, thank you, Mr. Delaney. Or, Captain Delaney."

"Just call me Jackson," he said.

"OK, if you'll call me Sarah," she said. "What is that dial for?"

When Sarah landed in Detroit, Duane was there, and he took her back to the hotel.

She said she could use a shower. She went into the bathroom and closed the door. At least he wasn't pulling back so much as to get her another room, but he was acting shy of touching her. Which was all she wanted him to do. She took her clothes in and got dressed in the bathroom, deciding not to push him right away.

It was a luxurious hotel. She took her time.

Thinking he could use a little playing himself, she decided to wear a pair of jeans and a high collared blouse. She wore her hair down, just pulled back with a headband, and put on a pair of sandals. She worse a pair of dangling earrings. She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a sophisticated college student. Perfect.

When she came out, drying her hair, he asked her if she'd like to see anything.

She looked at the hotel guidebook and picked out the Motown Museum.

"You like all kinds of music," he said. She had gone to a performance of the Buffalo Symphony with him. There, he had run into his old friend Rick Friel, who had mistaken her for his daughter Valerie.

Again she decided she'd pass on ribbing him that she'd come not so much to see Detroit as see him.

At the museum, she got interested, though, and saw some value in having something to talk to him about later, another shared experience. They walked through the park after that, and he actually took her hand. Something was melting, she thought. Some firm resolve of his.

It was getting dark. He leaned against one of the monuments in the park and put his arms around her. Improving all the time, she thought. She put her arms around his neck.

She felt that he was testing her in some way, maybe a maturity test. She wasn't angry. She liked his complicated ways. If it was a test, she just intended to pass.

They went out to dinner. She ordered a bottle of wine and two glasses, forbearing to tease him as she usually did about how they were walking and taking taxis, so he wasn't driving, so he could drink, and he needed to loosen up. She talked about the flight and the museum , leaving out all of her usual suggestive comments. She thought them up, then decided not to say them, one by one.

She could see she was started to drive him nuts. She loved that. She always had.

He put his arm around her in the elevator, going up. She snuggled close to him, feeling the burn of anticipation. She wondered what he was going to do.

He opened the room door, let her in, then closed it behind him. Immediately he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. In another second he had backed her up to the wall and was trying to undo her shirt.

She felt the shock of this thrill and kissed him back, letting all her pent-up desire begin to flow.


	4. Zander's Inlaws

Quinn was practicing at the track. She had been racing stock cars for years now, as a hobby. She usually raced in at least one race, the Port Charles 100. It was not a race that drew the likes of Jeff Gordon. But it was a race.

The car was Joe Quinn's. He had crewed in the old days and always kept up an interest in racing. Joe Quinn was Quinn's godfather and she had been named after him. She had always known him and he had always been part of her life, a quiet but steady, reliable presence.

Danny Connor, Quinn's father and Joe Quinn's best friend, came to the track. There was nothing unusual in that. Danny shared their interest in racing.

Tonight, Danny looked a little different. Almost serious. This was unnerving to Quinn.

"What is it?" she asked, knowing something was up.

"It's something I have to tell Joe," Danny said.

"Quinn can hear it, can't she?" Joe asked.

"Don't see why not. Now she's married, she's part of the family conclave. A grown up."

"Thanks, Dad. Nice to know working as a nurse didn't count like that or anything."

"Normally you have to wait until you have kids," Danny grinned, more like himself. "This isn't bad news, Joe. Just something that might throw you for a loop. Somebody came by McKinley looking for you today. From the distant past."

"Not Hannah?" Joe said, referring to Ha Neul Park, his ex wife, who had become known as Hannah Quinn.

"Close," Danny said. "It's Jimmy Nu."

Joe took this in. Jin-ho Nu, whose nickname was Jimmy, was Hannah's son, Joe's former stepson."

"Where is he?"

"At Kelly's Coffee shop."

"Let's go," Joe said.


	5. Detectives Taggart and Ardanowski

V. Ardanowski, a police detective, arrived at the police station. Her colleague Marcus Taggart was just getting off the phone.

"We got a call on a missing girl," he said. "You want to take it?"

"Sure. What do we know?"

"Amy Friel, age 16. No cell phone contact. Her father doesn't even know where she last went. It is around 8 p.m., and he says she would have called by now. Knows she is never supposed to turn her cell phone off. Has followed that habitually."

V. and Taggart went to the Friel's house.

As soon as she saw him, V. remembered meeting Rick Friel at Duane Edwards'. She had a good memory for faces. Taggart's wasn't so hot. He liked working with her because of that. He was the brains, she was the heart, he always said.

Naturally, he looked distressed. V. could see the effort he made to control his fear and panic. His voice was tense as he answered their routine questions, but he made an effort to give them as much information as possible.

Rick had last seen Amy last night. She went out with a friend, Maxie Jones. He went to bed. He didn't see Amy that morning either. He had assumed she was still in bed, and gone out for a tennis match at the country club. This wasn't unusual either. He had gone up to her bedroom. He didn't notice anything to indicate she had been there. Her bed was messed up, but then she did not always make her bed. He couldn't tell for sure if she had been home at all last night, and was now upset that it hadn't occurred to him earlier that it had been so many hours since he had seen his daughter who lived with him in his house.

V. calmed him down with that perfect touch of hers, saying that if things seemed normal, they probably were. She asked him how long he was at the country club, getting him back on track.

Rick had lunch with his tennis partner. Then he came home. He had been there since. There was nothing odd about Amy being out on a Saturday. She usually checked in around dinner time, though, if she had not already dropped by once or twice, on her own, or with a friend or friends. but when she had not called him by 7 p.m. or so, it seemed odd. He called her cell phone. It was off.

She was always supposed to keep it on, always, switching itto silent mode if she went into a movie. Otherwise, she was to call him and explain why she needed it off. This was their plan, their routine, and it had been like that for at least two years, ever since he had given Amy the cell phone.

He had made a list of her friends and started calling. It seemed odder and odder that she did not call. None of them knew where she was, and none of them had seen her. This was even scarier to Rick.

"What about her mother?" V. asked.

"Her mother died four years ago," Rick said.

V. said she was sorry.

Rick just nodded and said, "That is the reason I make such a big deal out of Amy checking in with me. I am her only parent."

"Does she have brothers and sisters?" Taggart asked.

"One older sister, Amanda. I called Amanda. No answer and her cell phone is off. Amanda is usually home in the evenings. And she would pick up for me."

V. and Taggart took the names and addresses of Maxie Jones and some of Amy's other friends.

Taggart told Rick, "It's actually a good sign that Amanda is missing too, because they could have gone someplace together."

"They don't do much together," Rick said. "Big age difference. If they do, I'm usually along. Or I think I'd know. Just know from talking to them that they planned to go somewhere."

V. asked him, "What is the last thing they did together?"

Taggart thought again how he liked working with V. She had a talent for drawing the best question right out of the mix of facts and speculations and falsehoods that the world was full of. He too was getting a hunch that the sister had something to do with it.

"Amanda took Amy for take your daughter to work day. She started doing that after their mother died."

V. got him to give her Amanda's employer name and address.

As they left, V. said, in an assuring way, to Rick: "Most of the time, it is just a misunderstanding. I'm sure we will find her safe and sound. We'll call you and keep you posted. Meanwhile, stay here, of course, in case she comes home."

"Of course. I'll call you immediately if she does that."

V. gave him her card with her number.

On the way to Maxie Jones' house, V. and Taggart reminisced about the Smith case. They were reminded of it because it was Amanda's employer was Oksana Kanishcheva, whom they had met upon her arrival in Port Charles. She was Zander Smith's mother, and had been looking for him for years. Their inquiries into the Missing Persons Databases had come to her investigators' attention, and brought about a reunion of mother and son. V., Taggart, and Hannah Scott, the local FBI agent, had been looking for Zander's parents to help with the hospital's need to find out Zander's family medical history, to make sure Zander did not have a hereditary heart disease.

"And naturally, Smith could not just tell us who his parents were," Taggart said, with cynical laughter. Now he was amused. Then he had been angry.

"Smith always does things the hard way," V. said with a grin. She herself had always been more tolerant of the young man, feeling he was savable. He had turned out to be savable, so V. didn't rub it in that she'd been right, just went along with Taggart's amused perplexity.

Maxie Jones did a good job of answering their questions. She didn't freak out. But she worried, because Amy wasn't the type, she said, to run off with a guy or something like that. They had gone to the movies and the Kelly's Coffee Shop, then parted and each gone home. Maxie didn't know of any plans Amy might have had for the next day. "In fact, I was supposed to call her," Maxie told them. "I did, and her phone was off or she didn't answer. I left a message. She hasn't called back yet."

The two girls had not spoken with anyone unusual, and Amy's demeanor had appeared normal to Maxie.

On the way to Amanda's apartment, V. called Rick and told him what Maxie had said. Rick agreed with Maxie that Amy had not been acting strange in any way. He'd looked all through her room and on her computer and couldn't find anything sinister or suggestive.

Amanda was still not home. She still didn't answer her phone.

"My hunch about Amanda is getting stronger," V. told Taggart.

"Mine too," Taggart echoed her.

On the way to Oksana's house, V. left messages on both Amanda's and Amy's cell phones. She was a detective. If they were ignoring dad's messages, this would get them to take it more seriously, V. reasoned.

Oksana was there with Jax. V. knew Jax from having done art work to decorate his company offices. She had once tailed him long ago, but he had proved to be innocent.

Jax popped up everywhere, and so V. didn't question how it was he knew Oksana so well. They were both big shot businesspeople. He acted like he was her boyfriend.

Jax and Oksana had not seen Oksana's sons, Zander and Peter, yet that day. Nor had they seen Amanda or Amy. Oksana had a servant named Rosa who was duly summoned and was equally at a loss. "They come in and out so much," Rosa said. Rosa called both of her nieces, who also lived in and worked in the house, and they couldn't tell the detectives anything, it appeared. Oksana checked with her parents and her brother and didn't get any leads from any of them, either.

Oksana tried Peter's cell phone, and Zander's cell, getting no answer.

"They are all together," V. speculated, sure that it couldn't be a coincidence that such a number of people had their cell phones turned off and were all gone without explanation. "Could that be?"

"It could," Jax put in. "What about one of those field trips of theirs?" he asked Oksana.

Oksana explained to the detectives that Amanda was Zander's tutor, and that they often made actual trips around the northeast, to see things. Zander had a deficit that made experience and visuals much more effective than studying. When they took a trip anywhere far, they went with a pilot called Jackson Delaney.

"Any idea where they might have wanted to go?" Taggart asked.

Oksana looked distressed. "No, I can't think of anything." She again asked everyone else in the household. Jax was trying to think about what he had heard, but couldn't recall anything, either.

V. and Taggart went to the airport. On the way, V. again called Rick and told him what they had found out. "This sounds good," V. said. "I think they may have gone somewhere and just taken Amy along."

"She still hasn't called, though," V. said to Taggart, after she had hung up.

"Maybe they can't have cell phones turned on, on a plane?" Taggart speculated. "Can you really do that? Like on 911? Some say that wasn't possible."

"I don't know," V. said. "Maybe during take off and landing. This is general aviation, too. Maybe they can't, but big airlines can."

At the airport, it took V. and Taggart awhile to convince the officials to let them see the records of where Jackson Delaney might have flown. They had all sorts of objections based on "Homeland Security," though they knew V. and Taggart were police detectives. V. and Taggart had to get help on the phone from Hannah Scott, the local FBI agent, and dramatize the case of the missing teenaged girl to the maximum possible emergency in order to get them to agree to look at the records themselves and relay the information to the detectives.

Finally, V. and Taggart learned that Jackson Delaney had most recently flown to Detroit and back, then to Washington D.C.

V. called Oksana, to see if Washington, D.C., jogged her memory. Oksana talked off the line to others in the room, then came back with the memory that there had been some discussion about going to see the Federal Reserve.

V. thanked her and hung up, then called the Federal Reserve. No one there would tell her anything whatsoever. Homeland Security regulations forbade this. They didn't know if V. was a detective or not. Missing teenaged girls were irrelevant, it appeared.

V. called Hannah again to see if that would help.

Taggart called the airport in D.C. and got a similar brick wall.

V. called Rick and ran this new information by him. He said it was likely that Amanda would have gone somewhere like that with her student. As to Amy, she never went on this. But she had been talking about the Federal Reserve in relation to a school assignment.

V. had just hung up and was about to call Hannah again when one of the airport personnel told them that Jackson Delaney's plane was in.


	6. At the Airport

"Jackson Delaney?" Taggart asked, "Do you have an Amy Friel with you?"

"Er, yes," Jackson said.

V. looked at the photos Rick had given her and Amanda and Amy, along with Zander, Quinn, Zander's younger brother and another girl.

V. called Rick right away, told him that Amy was found, and gave her phone to Amy.

"Dad?" Amy looked stricken. "I went to Washington with Amanda and Zander. It was this sudden plan. Zander had the idea to go now and called Jackson and he was available – he's the pilot, remember? We got to the Federal Reserve building and they wouldn't let us in without turning off our cell phones. We even had to leave them at a desk and we had to turn them off and we forgot them all. We came out of there talking and excited and we didn't realize we had left them until we were taking off. Zander is gonna call them and see if we can get them back. I'm sorry, Dad. I'm really sorry. I was with Amanda and somehow it didn't seem like I was doing anything unusual – I thought we'd be back soon enough, I guess. Yes, it is far away. But it hardly took any time to get there. We had our own pilot! I didn't think it was getting so late. Then I knew I could call you as soon as we landed, but when we did the police were here."

V. felt relieved as she listened to this. It was always a relief to find the missing person, alive and well. It was all just a misunderstanding. Thank God.

Zander was telling Taggart, "We had been kicking around the idea of going to the Federal Reserve. We go on field trips like that a lot. It's for my education. Amanda is my tutor. Amy is her little sister and Amanda had this joint project for us, about the economy."

Taggart looked like he was trying not to laugh. Here was Zander Smith, kidnapper and drug dealer, hardly two years later, doing school projects about the economy.

"Amazing the power of money," he said to V. as they were all trooping out.

"Amazing the power of family," V. said. "And friends. I won't say I told you so." She knew he was talking about the change in Zander Smith's life

"I'm so sorry," Amy was there, talking to V. and Taggart. "Dad says I wasted police resources."

V. laughed. "I'm just so happy to find you safe and sound, honey, I couldn't care less about police resources."

"I was talking to Kara, on the plane, about volleyball. She's on the Mercy High team and I'm on the PC High team. I just never thought for one second – just didn't think. Maybe Jackson would have radioed somebody to call Dad. It just seems like when I'm going somewhere with Amanda, it doesn't count. I won't do it again."

"It's OK, kid," Taggart said. "Like Ardanowski says, you're OK. That's all that matters."

"Thank you, Detective Taggart," Amy said.

V. and Taggart decided to take Amy home. Amanda said she was going over, anyway, but needed to go back to Oksana's for her car. V. said she wanted to see Amy back into her father's custody, and so she'd take her, and they'd see Amanda over her father's house.

"OK," Amanda said, wondering if it was really all over, or if she and Amy were in some sort of trouble.

Rick was outside when they got to his house. He hugged the apologizing Amy and declared that she was grounded for forty years.

Amy ran through her explanations again.

"OK, twenty years," he said. He thanked the detectives and apologized again.

"It's OK," V. said, not arguing. He was so relieved, it was touching. "We have to do reports," she told him. "But we'll come back for that later. No hurry. I'm glad she's safe."


	7. Yvonne's Phone Call

Sarah Webber woke up, not sure where she was for a second, then realizing she was in the hotel in Detroit. She sat up, looked over at Duane, and smiled. She wondered if he would always sleep longer than she did. He had the time he had spent the night at her apartment.

She pulled on her red silk robe and called room service.

When he woke up, she was already drinking coffee.

"Hey," she said. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"I don't know," he said. "But I don't care if you did."

She handed him a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," he said.

His phone rang. He looked at it and answered it. "Hi, Yvonne," he said. "I'm fine. I got stuck in Detroit. This deposition started Thursday and it has to go over to Monday." He was quiet awhile. "Thanks," he said. He smiled. "OK," he said. "Did you find it? Maybe the garage? OK, honey." He hung up.

Sarah leaned back. She was torn between curiosity and not wanting to seem nosy.

"Yvonne went home for her old CD player," he said. "She noticed I was missing."

"Where does she live?"

"In a dorm at PCU. She lives with me officially, you know, how you lived with your parents on holidays and in summers in college? I think Valerie lives with me too, on that basis."

"Yes, I know of that. Though my parents lived in Bosnia."

"Did you ever go there?"

"Yes. I'll tell you about it sometime. So the girls live with you, not their mother?"

"I would say so. They were grown up, so it was their choice. I think to them it is easier to come to my place where it's just me than to go to theirs where they have to deal with her husband. Not that they hate him. They just don't have to deal with that at my place. They're not home that much, though."

"Yvonne didn't wonder where you were when you stayed with me?"

"She didn't notice I wasn't home."

She leaned against him. He put his cup down and put his arms around her. "Amusing," he said. "How it's my kids, not my parents, who might wonder where I am."

"Your kids didn't establish a curfew for you."

He smiled. "Not so far."

"You want to be around in case they need you."

"Sure, but they can call."

He sensed some anxiety in her. "How often did you call your parents when you were in college?" he asked.

"Not that much," she answered.

"See?" he smiled. He bent his head and kissed her, until she forgot all about how on this one issue, he had more in common with her parents than with her.

"I'm glad I had all this time with you," she said later, hours later, when it was time for her to go the airport. "Thank you."

"Thank you for coming," he said.

When they got to the passenger lounge, he wasn't touching her again. But then suddenly, he took her in his arms.

He realized that he was going to miss her. It seemed very strange to him. He wondered if what she had said about spending time with him meant she wasn't going to spend any more with him.

"I'll miss you," he said.

She looked up at him and then kissed him passionately. His doubts resolved a little.

Jackson Delaney, looking for his passenger in the lounge, saw them. He saw her, kissing Duane Edwards.

Jackson was shocked at first. He hadn't thought of that. Wasn't Duane Edwards married? No, he was divorced. Jackson thought maybe he had heard that. But Dr. Webber was so young. Then again, she was a doctor.

As they flew back and Jackson talked to Sarah some more, he revised his opinion. Sarah was so smart, he realized, guys her age would just bore her to death. She was a match for Duane Edwards, all right.

He told his older brother Jim about it, next time he saw him. Jim was an orthopedic surgeon at Mercy Hospital. Jim and Duane were good friends. They had met years ago when Jim had testified on one of Duane's cases.

"I wouldn't have thought of Duane as likely to do that," Jim said. "Go for a younger woman. But you're right. If she's smart, she's his type, now. I think after Allison he'd value smart, and professional. So her youth may not be a barrier."

"If he hadn't mentioned her to you, though, maybe he's doubtful."

"So far."

"Yes," Jackson said. "Did I tell you about how we kidnapped a girl by accident? Amanda Friel's sister came with us on our last Zander trip, and the sister hadn't told the father where she was going." Jackson explained the situation to his brother.

"Crazy," Jim said. "But nowadays, I don't blame the father for panicking."


	8. AJ's Job with Jax

AJ thought he could talk to Jax about a job. But then he decided to see if he could get one without any direct interference.

He went to the personnel department of Jax Enterprises, Inc., and applied through normal channels.

A few days later, he got a call from a secretary to schedule an interview.

He was shown into the office of Frederick Friel, District Sales Manager.

The interview went well, AJ thought.

Two days later, he got a call from Frederick Friel, offering him the job. He said he'd get back to him.

AJ went to see Jax, and explained.

"I'd have given you the job," Jax said.

"I wanted to see if I could get it through normal channels," AJ said.

"All the better," Jax said. "Welcome aboard."

AJ was happy now. He called Rick Friel and accepted the job. Then he called Joanna. He had gone to this effort so that he would be able to support himself while defying his parents and moving out of the Quartermaine mansion to be with Joanna.

"I'm happy for you," Joanna said. "Are you sure your family won't pitch a fit?"

"Now they can, and be damned," AJ said.

"I know, but . ."

"It's OK, Joanna. We will be free of them."

"Maybe that's best. I just don't want you to lose your family over me."

"I can't," AJ said. "My real family is you and Michael, Heather and Kurt. And Jason. Don't say it's over you. It's their fault. They have this talent for making people think their actions are other people's fault. Don't fall for it."

"Yes," Joanna said. "That's true, no matter what your parents and grandfather do or say, you've got a right to your own life. And remember that, whatever they do or say. I love you. I'm proud of you getting that job."

"I love you. I sure am glad I got this job. With this, you and I can find a house together," he said. "I could come to yours, I just don't like it because you and Charlie lived there. We need a new place, one that is ours."

"A good idea," she said. "Let's see what happens first with your family finding out you work for that kangaroo."

AJ smiled. "How did you know grandfather's name for him? Did you hear him or just guess?"

"I guessed."

"Which shows you know my grandfather pretty well already. That you could figure out so easily what he'd say."

"Your grandfather doesn't like anyone not in the family on that board."

"Oh, no. It threatens his control."


	9. Felicia's Advice

It was parent-teacher night at Port Charles High School. Matt Delaney, a history teacher, prepared for the usual parade of parents. Students could come too. It was some sort of nod to their alleged maturity.

Maxie Jones had an absentee father. Yet she was rather well adjusted. Her mother had not remarried, and was an energetic person usually on top of things. She definitely spent good quality time with Maxie. Maxie was one of the brighter students he had. Matt appreciated those greatly. They made teaching worth while, along with the occasional monster who really did reform. But real life was not like "Stand and Deliver" or "To Sir with Love," and usually, the rotten kids stayed rotten.

Matt had a pleasant talk with Maxie and her mother.

Another bright student of his, Amy Friel, came in with her father, Rick. Amy was not so much incredibly bright as willing to get into things. That was what, to Matt, made a person intelligent. Like Maxie, Amy had only one parent, but the absent parent was deceased in her case.

The girls got into a discussion with Matt in no time. Amy said she had gone to see the Federal Reserve. She had many new economic theories to discuss.

It amazed Matt how inspiring Amy's trip had been. Matt was curious as to how it came about, and Amy explained it to him.

Felicia Jones, Maxie's mother, talked to Rick Friel while this conversation went on.

"Maxie loves this class," she said.

"Amy does, too," Rick said.

"It's great she went to the Federal Reserve. Do you always go all out for her to see things?"

"No, that was her sister Amanda. Amanda is a tutor, and her student was going to see that, and so they took Amy along. Of course I didn't know about it, and called the cops, thinking Amy was missing."

"How did that happen?"

Rick explained it.

"Unusual convergence of factors," Felicia said.

"Yes," Rick said. "I feel bad about the police. The detectives were so diligent."

"I know them from my days as a P.I.," Felicia said. "And from back when I was dating Commisioner Scorpio. Which ones were on it?"

"V. Ardanowski and Marcus Taggart."

"They're both good."

"They were excellent, and they kept me calmed down."

"You'd need calming down, thinking your daughter was missing like that."

"I really did, and V. - what does that stand for? Was really impressive."

"Yes, she's great. We got back, we're friends. V. stands for Venus but she won't stand for it. Don't call her that. Just plain V. Call her V."

He laughed "I won't. Thanks for the advice!"


	10. A Visitor from Joe’s Past

Joe, Danny and Quinn came to Kelly's coffee shop.

Jin Ho "Jimmy" Nu sat at the table farthest from the counter. His hands were folded and he looked nervous.

"Jin-ho?" Joe said, as they came up to him.

"Joe?" Jimmy stood up.

They looked at each other for a few seconds, taking in the changes the years had wrought.

Then Joe hugged Jimmy.

They sat down at the table. "This is Quinn?" Jimmy asked, looking at her.

"All grown up," Danny said, proudly.

"Even married," Quinn said.

"I have not seen you since you were little," Jimmy said to Quinn.

"I remember you," said Quinn.

"Are you married, Jimmy? Any kids?" Danny asked.

"No," Jimmy said. "Not either. You married again, Joe?"

"No," Joe said mildly. "What brings you back, Jimmy?"

"I don't know where to turn," he said. "Ma is sick. Azhamer's," he said, not quite able to pronounce it. "I left her in a hospital with only a week to find out where to put her."

"You can bring her here," Joe said.

Jimmy looked relieved. "I know it - not good - to ask you to help. I don't know where else to ask."

"Quinn's a nurse now, Jimmy," Danny said.

"I'll find out the best places around here for her," Quinn said. "I'm sorry this has happened to her."

"Me too," said Danny. Though, over the years, he hadn't had much good to say about Ha Neul Park, Joe's ex-wife. But he knew Joe wouldn't hold a grudge.

"Do you have a place to stay, Jimmy?" Joe said.

"I got a job up in Maine," Jimmy said. "I have to go back. I wanted to see you."

"Let's exchange phone numbers," Joe said. "I'll be in touch. Where is she now?"

Jimmy wrote down the name and address of the nursing home.

"Did she have a job?" Quinn asked. "Insurance?"

"She did, but she retired," Jimmy said. "She got insurance, but it don't do more for this."

Quinn nodded.

"Don't worry, Jimmy," Danny said then.

Quinn went with Danny to her parents' house. Kathleen, Quinn's mother, was home, talking to Quinn's youngest brother, Brad, about his baseball schedule.

"You'll never guess who showed up," Danny said to his wife.

"Oh, my," Kathleen said, when she had heard the story. "I never thought they'd dare to darken Joe's door again."

"But of course Joe wants to help," Quinn said.

"Of course," Kathleen said. "I's like to kick them both in the teeth."

"So we're in," Danny said. "Joe's taking Jimmy over to stay with him – wouldn't let him go to a hotel."

"Has Jimmy changed much?" Kathleen asked.

"He's different now, I think, Kathleen," Danny answered. "Jimmy even had a job he has to get back to. Didn't say what it was, though. He's just gotten older. Like us. He recognized Quinn."

"I hope you're right and that he's improved," Kathleen said. "Well, whatever we can do."


	11. Girl Talk

The week dragged on, and Sarah began to feel anxious. Duane didn't call her. She wondered if she should call him.

Stupid, childish game, which wouldn't work out, she thought. She called.

"Hi," he said, sounding surprised.

"Hi, yourself. I wanted to thank you again. Without you, I'd be ignorant of what is in the Motown Museum."

"Same here."

"You must be busy this week. Do you want to come over tomorrow night?"

He was silent a minute. She froze, feeling a sort of dread she couldn't describe. Talk, damn it, she thought.

"Do you want to come over here?" he asked.

"That would be nice. If you're sure. It's OK, I understand you need to tread carefully when it comes to your daughters."

"No, they're grown up. They said they wanted me to have a life."

"OK, I'll see you." She hung up. She stared for a minute, trying to process what went through her mind or more, what went through her heart.

"Everything OK?" Joanna Shields was standing there.

"Yes, better than I had been thinking," Sarah said. "How is it going for you?"

"Good. AJ got a job with another company. Jax Enterprises. He's so happy. He feels like now we can do what we want. I still dread what the Quartermaines might do and say, though."

"Yes, it'll hurt him, possibly. But his brother Jason will be on his side, that will mean the most to him."

"Yes. Were you talking to your boyfriend on the phone? You sounded a little upset."

"I did? Yeah, he doesn't realize dating a woman younger than he isn't the worst type of problem in the world. He could be dating a Quartermaine."

Joanna laughed. "Sure. Just hang in there. Want me to call him and tell him all about it?"

"I think he's shy of his daughters" Sarah said. "They're grown up. It would be harder if they were kids. Wouldn't you think so? How did your children come to accept AJ? They have, haven't they?"

"Yes, though I guess it's easier with younger children. These grown ones can state their opinion right off."

"They want him to be happy, so he says. I really do understand, I do. His daughters are old enough to figure out what is going on. I understand him being shy of that. Even if it doesn't bother them, it has to feel strange to him. But his wife cheated on him and she gets to have her love life. But she's married. That's different. I understand and don't blame him, really. He invited me over his house. That means a lot."

"That does mean a lot," Joanna said, reassuringly. Even the ever-confident Dr.Webber could end up rambling over a man."Asking you over there."

"I met them," Sarah said. "They are cool, really. It's he that has the hesitation."

"But if they don't, that will help him with his."

"Yes," Sarah said. "I hope so."

"You really like this guy, don't you? I can see it in your face You'll work it out. If that's all your difficulty, he'll relax. Wasn't he the big risk taker? And maybe it has nothing to do with your age. He could feel that way if you were his age. He's been off the market so long, right?"

"Yes, thanks, Joanna, for listening to me. And your difficulties are worse."

Joanna laughed. "Quartermaines. The Family. That's why we call them the Mansons. The Family. And scary."

Sarah said, "When I was in school here, we called them Quarterbrains."

"I like it," Joanna said. "Why they can't let their children live their lives? It amazes me."

"Me too. Now AJ gave them an heir, thatmakes them evenmore controlling."

"Yes, you know, AJ wanting to move out and take Michael with him won't suit them at all. Sometimes I think we should move in. He thinks we'll feel trapped, but I sometimes think then we'll only be doing what they say they want, and they can't complain."

"I hope they take his working for Jax OK," Sarah said.

"They live with Skye working for another company OK, in fact, that company is Sergei Kanishchev's, and he is another member of the ELQ Board of Directors."

"They hate non-family board members," Sarah said. "I remember that. Back when Elizabeth dated Jason it was this guy, Sonny, who some say is a crook."

"Grandfather calls Jax the kangaroo and Sergei the Russian pirate."

"No surprise," Sarah said. "Good luck."

"Thanks. I really need it," Joanna said.


	12. AJ and Jason

AJ had a conversation with his brother, who came to his room at the Quartermaine mansion.

"I had an idea," Jason said. "Say I moved out, and you stayed. Joanna moves in."

AJ considered this. "It makes you the bad guy."

"I know," Jason grinned. "And it leaves you possession of the field, alone."

AJ smiled. He went over and punched his brother affectionately in the upper arm. "I don't know," he said. "It might be worth a try."

"If it doesn't work, you and Joanna move out, too," Jason said.

"Mom and Dad are going to try to convince you to stay," AJ said.

"Not the way they'd do it to you."

"True. Are you sure you're willing to try that?"

"Yes."

"I'm ready to make a move soon. I got a job."

"No kidding, great! I knew you were afraid other companies wouldn't want to hire Quartermaines."

"I sort of did the same thing Skye did."

"A job with the Russian pirate?" That was what Edward Quartermaine called the other non-family board member, Sergei Kanishchev.

"Close. A job with another board member."

"Jax?"

"Yeah. I even got it through normal channels."

"Great, AJ. And I know it makes you feel better going through normal channels."

"Now I just hope it works out and that my training at ELQ wasn't inadequate. Some stuff could have been too easy."

"Skye's doing all right." Skye worked for the "Russian pirate" in publicity.

"Maybe office politics isn't as bad when you are not in your family's company," AJ said, considering. "It will be different to get to concentrate just on the work."

"It is," Jason said. "You'll do great. I know because I have that - the hospital is not like ELQ, they have to let you work. It gives you a good sense of - how the rest of the world is easier than the family."

"I believe you. The family couldn't just make you a doctor on their own. It's something you got out in the real world."

"You got your degree, AJ. You don't owe it all to Mom and Dad and Grandfather. And ELQ will be losing something."

"If they replace me, I might believe that."

"Even if they don't, it doesn't mean they were just making a place for you. They might just shift stuff around. Reorganize."

"Thank you, Jason. You always try to make me feel better. Though it doesn't work, I appreciate the effort."

"You could even say, if they don't replace you, that they want you to think that. I know how they can be. So don't even look at that. Grandfather can manipulate that company however he wants, and replace you while making it look like he didn't."

"He could spread the jobs duties I have been doing around," AJ said. "True enough. Do you think – would you rather tell them first you're moving out, or wait until after I tell them I'm working at Jax Corporation?"

"I think I should go first. Then I am not a lever for them in your decision. They can't hold me up as the good boy who stays loyally at the family hospital. Because they see themselves as owners of the hospital."

"Yeah, though the Cassidines own more of it. But you are still the good boy who loyally stayed at the hospital."

"But the traitor who moved out."

AJ laughed. "There's that."


	13. Kara Back on the Team

Mary Ellen Delaney, a reporter for the _Port Charles Gazette_, went over to Mercy High School for some material on a story she was going to do on her cousin Kara. Mary Ellen sat on the sidelines at volleyball practice. She saw a couple of young men in baseball uniforms come in.

Kara Delaney, her cousin, came to over her during a break in the practice. This drew the young men to her, too. Kara was captain of the volleyball team at Mercy High, recently sidelined to have surgery and radiation for a benign brain tumor.

"This is my cousin, Mary Ellen, she's a reporter for the Port Charles Gazette." Kara told Mary Ellen that the baseball players were Peter Kanishchev and Tim Connor. Peter was Kara's boyfriend. Tim was Peter's best friend. Now Peter's brother Zanderand Tim's sister Quinnwere married, too, so they were like family.

"Peter what?" Mary Ellen asked.

"Smith," Kara said. "You can always use Smith if you can't remember the Russian."

"That's right," Peter said, his eyes twinkling. He was cute, and Mary Ellen liked him right away. "My brother Zander started that tradition."

"Zander Smith," said Mary Ellen. "Hey, I know all about him. He was the main subject at the _Port Charles Gazette_ for at least a month. A couple of years ago."

"Now he is Zander Kanishchev," said Kara. "Or, he always was, he used Smith as an alias."

"Clever alias," Mary Ellen said ironically.

"He is not newsworthy any more, we hope," Peter said. "He is going to college and he just got married."

"Given what the stories about him used to be, that might make a good article," Mary Ellen said. "About how he dug himself out of trouble."

"Yes, you're right, Mary Ellen," Kara said.

"It is true," Tim Connor said.

"My brother might like it," Peter said. "He's out to become a teacher – he'd like warning off high school kids."

"The don't end up like me story," Mary Ellen said. "It'll be my next feature. After you, Kara. How are you feeling?"

"I feel pretty fragile," Kara said. "But I think it's going away. I'm so glad to be back. But I don't play like I used to."

"You will," Peter said. He put his arm around Kara.

"I think it's temporary," Kara said. "It's like getting back to an old world, but it all seems different now, at the same time."

"How so?" Mary Ellen asked, pencil poised over her notebook. She looked interested.

"It's like - before I took it all for granted," Kara said. "Now I know not to. It's that way with everything." She looked up at Peter just then, in a way Mary Ellen thought was very sweet.

"Thanks for coming over," she said to him. "You too, Tim."

"Does your coach treat you differently, or the rest of the team?" Mary Ellen asked.

"They're afraid they're going to hurt me or I'm going to get sick," Kara said. "My mom says that will go away with time. The first day, it was awful. People were afraid to have the ball coming towards me."

"But it's gotten better since then?" Mary Ellen asked.

"I think so. The more they see I won't fall down, the more confident they get."

"It's about their confidence, see," Peter said. "Kara's is solid."

"Thanks for coming to volleyball practice," Kara said, later, as she and Peter sat in the study room at Peter's house.

"I liked seeing you there rather than in the hospital," he said.

Kara stayed over for dinner, after calling her mother to tell her. "Rosa's here," she said, of the maid, "And Oksana will be home soon." Kara's mother didn't want Kara over her boyfriend's house without an adult there.

The sun was going down as they walked toward the lake. It was romantic. A breeze blew through the trees. There were flowers coming up.

Kara sneezed.

"Allergies again," Peter said.

"Allergies don't seem so bad, now," Kara said. "I used to complain about them a lot."

He stopped walking and pulled her close and kissed her lips, then her forehead, then the top of her scarf.

"You can't take that scarf off yet?" he asked.

"My hair's so short," she said.

"But it's growing back."

"Yes. It does make me feel better to see that it is."

"How long does it have to be before you'll appear in public hatless?"

She hugged him. "I don't know," she said. "I guess I'll know it when I see it."

He drove her home and came in to talk to her parents for awhile.

A little while later, she went back out with him to kiss him good night.

And that seemed to have something extra to it, to, something rather disturbing. Every experience she had was more valuable to her from having had that scare against her health. Kara was aware this one could lead to more than she had bargained for.

"I love you," he said, and kissed her once more, then went to his car.

She waved at him as she usually did, staying at the door until he drove off.


	14. Zander and Quinn's House

Rick Friel opened his door upon hearing the doorbell. Outside he saw a young man and a young woman he didn't know.

They said they were Zander and Quinn Kanishchev, and that he was Amanda's student, and they were very sorry about the mix up last Saturday.

"It's not your fault," Rick said. "It's Amy's, if anyone's. Come in."

"I contributed, though," Zander said, sitting in Rick's living room. "We were sitting around in our study room. We had talked about it before, but I had the idea to go right then, and I called Jackson, the pilot, and he happened to be available and the rest is history. Everybody got swept up in it. Forgot the rest of the world."

"It's OK," Rick said.

"I will remember next time. If I'm going to be a teacher, I need to think of things like that."

"You're going to be a teacher?" Rick said, "Good for you. I know you've come a long way."

"Yes, thanks to Amanda."

Rick smiled. "She'd say she couldn't do anything without a willing student."

"We're having a dinner party at our place," Quinn said. "To thank those responsible for Zander's education. We'd love for you to come."

"That's nice of you. I didn't do much for the education, though."

"We'll stretch that point," Zander said. "You must have overseen Amanda's."

"Bring Amy too, if she wants," Quinn said. "She and Zander are still debating the cause of rising interest rates during the depression."

Rick smiled again. "You'll lose," he said to Zander.

"I know," Zander said.

The next day, getting ready for their guests to arrive, Zander and Quinn were talking.

"We didn't invite Sergei," Quinn said, of Zander's father.

"We can have a separate dinner for him," Zander said. "I think I might have but with Mom being engaged, it just didn't sit right. I don't think he'd do or say anything, but it's kinder to him, like."

"Even after all these years, do you think it would bother him to see Oksana with another man?"

"I'm not sure. It's the first time I know of that he's had to deal with that."

Quinn's parents arrived first.

Quinn's mother Kathleen was an 8th grade teacher at Port Charles Middle School. She had been one of the first to help get Zander back on track with his education. She had helped find Amanda, his tutor, and helped in getting his school records, which had come from Florida and Moscow, translated. She had discovered that one of Zander's teachers in Russia had thought Zander would make a good teacher. She had been encouraging to Zander in that from that point on, having him go on a field trip with her class and just talking to him about what it was like to be a teacher.

Oksana and Jax arrived next, then Rick, Amy and Amanda, and finally, Jackson Delaney.

"It was nice of you to visit my dad," Amanda said to Zander.

"I felt bad for him, thinking Amy was missing," Zander said.

"You feel bad for him," Oksana said. "For a few hours."

"I feel bad for you too, Mom," Zander said. "Now I do." Zander had run away from home, and had been missing for years before Oksana found him again.

At dinner they talked a little about how their last field trip has resulted in Rick thinking Amy was missing.

"Where else have you gone?" Rick asked Zander, deciding to spare them more apology and self recrimination.

"Jackson has flown us to Washington before," Zander said. "Philadelphia. Quebec City. Monticello."

Later after everyone had gone, Quinn said, "If we made any progress with Jackson and Amanda, it's not showing."

"He didn't talk to her much more than anyone else," Zander said.

"She looks at him, to see what he's doing," Quinn said. "But doesn't talk to him."

"Amy said she'd heard a lot about him," Zander said. "The day we first had to the idea to go look at the Federal Reserve. She said she wanted to go to be on the flight to see this Jackson she had heard so much about."

"So Amanda tells Amy about Jackson, but not you, and you are a known matchmaker," Quinn said. "Mysterious."

The next day, after Zander's classes and his evening study sessions with Amanda, he walked Amanda out to her car.

"Hey," he said, "You know Quinn and I are notorious matchmakers, Amanda."

"Yes, you are infamous," Amanda said.

"Should I invite just you and Jackson over, maybe?" Zander said. "The education dinner didn't seem to have done much."

"Oh, thanks for turning your matchmaking to me," Amanda said, smiling, and patting him on the shoulder. "But he's not interested in me. I've seen him many times. Talked to him a lot."

"Are you really thanking me, or do you think I should butt out of your business?"

"I think you mean well and only help along a couple that already likes each other. Take your Mom. She and Jax knew met on their own. You just approve, get them together."

"OK, though I'm not sure they'd have had an easy time of it if not for Jerry and Alexis," Zander said. "And we did a lot to get Jerry and Alexis in the same place."

"Yes. They needed that though. Jackson Delaney and I are in the same place without much of your effort, since you and I went on our trips."

"OK, I'll butt out," Zander said. "No matchmaking service is perfect."

"OK," Amanda laughed. "Don't feel bad. Maybe I'll use you for my dad. He is so stubborn."

"I don't believe her," Zander said to Quinn, later, at their house. "Just the way she said it."

"I don't either," Quinn said. "Notice she didn't tell you she's not interested. She said she thinks _he _is not. There's a big difference."

Two days later, Zander had a tennis game with Jackson Delaney, who had in the past proved to be a worthy opponent.

After the game, Jackson asked Zander if he wanted to go over to the London Underground for a drink.

"Sure," Zander said.


	15. V Gets Some Praise

Commissioner Mac Scorpio came into V.'s little cubicle.

"You got some letters," he said, tossing them at her. "Praising your great detective work."

"Good, I'll keep them for my file," said V. Her mother had always told her to keep a file of positive things, to look at to gain confidence whenever times were tough.

The first was a letter from Amy Friel, apologizing for the unnecessary use of police time just because she had forgotten to call her father to tell him where she was going.

The second was from Frederick Friel, and it contained a similar apology and also some praise for the detectives, singling out Detective Ardanowski, because she had called him with frequent updates and he had felt that she was dedicated to finding Amy.

Later, V. went to the boxcar she and Elizabeth used as an art studio. As they were painting, they often talked.

V. told Elizabeth about how Amy had gone missing and about the letters.

"Mr. Friel was very calm and tried hard to answer the questions," V. said. "Though he must have been scared to death. It's hard on him being a parent alone. I know - my mom went through it."

"Did you ever do anything like that?" Elizabeth asked.

"No," V. said. "But it could have happened. Amy was with her older sister and a bunch of people who were older than she. It just didn't occur to her and the circumstances happened to play out that she didn't have her cell phone by the time she thought of it. And it was smart of him to call the police. A lot of people would have been too embarrassed to do it yet."

"I think you are impressed with her father," Elizabeth ventured to say.

"Yes," V. said. "Very few people are grateful for what we do."

"It might be different if it hadn't turned out OK," Elizabeth said.

"Fortunately, we don't have to find out."

Later then went for a cup of coffee at Kelly's. As it happened, Rick and Amy Friel were there.

Rick stood up and invited them to sit down at the same table.

V. introduced Elizabeth to both of them.

"Thank you for the letters," V. said. "Elizabeth and I were just talking about them."

"Do you like being a detective?" Amy asked. "Sometimes I think I'd like to be one."

"If you have a day off, come and visit me sometime," V. said. "I'll show you around."

Amy smiled. "That's so nice of you."

"Yes it is," Rick said. "Especially since she was once missing."

V. laughed. "I'll show you what I do when someone is missing," she said. "Some nights, it is actually slow. It's not like on TV. Sometimes, really, nothing bad happens."

"Everybody's been apologizing left and right," Amy said. "Last night we were at Zander's, and he had come over to apologize to Dad for it, Amanda did, and even Zander's mother seemed to think she should have had charge of me."

"Gets me in good with the boss," Rick said.

"Who is that?" V. asked.

"Jasper Jax. Oksana's fiance."

"I didn't know they were engaged," V. said. "I know a lot about Jax, if you ever need to know."

Amy laughed. "See Dad, everything can lead to something good. If I hadn't gone missing for a few hours, you wouldn't know V., who now it turns out, knows your boss!"

"I have a lot of information on him," V. said, grinning.

"He helped her put some criminals away once," Elizabeth said. "You might have read about it in the paper."

"I don't remember it," Rick said.

"Where is Amanda?" V. asked. "She has her own place?"

"Yes," Amy said.

"I have a couple more questions for her so I can finalize my report," V. said. "But she's probably out."

"I doubt it," Rick said. "She never goes out."

"She must be out on dates sometimes," Elizabeth said.

"No," Rick said, thoughtfully, as if he were just realizing it. "Never."

"I worry about her, Dad," Amy said.

"I'll go over then," V. said. "If she's home, I'll get her to go out."

"Well that was interesting," Elizabeth said, as she drove V. back to her car. "You offered to help both his daughters within the space of five minutes."

"I guess I feel for them," V. said. "Lost their mother. You know how much I talk about how hard it was to lose my dad."

"Yes, that makes sense," Elizabeth said. "They don't have a mom but you do. You don't have a dad but they do. Maybe you can introduce them to each other?"

"What?"

"You know, perfect family. Your mom marries Mr. Friel and voila, a two parent family."

V. laughed. "Now I know you're being silly. Mom is way older than Mr. Friel is."

"Too bad. Otherwise, it works out so perfectly. But age difference doesn't matter. I have Sarah to convince you of that."

V. laughed again. "Well, I could always try. Have a barbecue, invite Mom over, and the Friels. The new _Brady Bunch_."

"Yeah, like that old show."

V. was still laughing as she got out of Elizabeth's car and into her own.


	16. Amanda and V

V. drove over to Amanda Friel's apartment. Amanda was home, in fact.

"Hello," Amanda said. Her tone was friendly but guarded.

"I need a few more details in order to finalize my report," V. said. "Do you have a few minutes for that?"

"Sure," Amanda said. "Come in."

"I saw your dad and your sister at Kelly's," V. volunteered.

"They go out for dinner a lot," Amanda said. "Would you like a cup of tea, or something?"

"That would be really nice, thank you," V. said.

When they were settled, V. asked her questions. It took her about ten minutes.

"That's it, I think," V. said. "Nothing complicated."

V. started getting up. "You have to go back to the police station?" Amanda asked.

"No, I'm done for the day," V. said. "It's been a good week. Quiet. No robberies."

"Would you have to go back if there was one?"

"Yes, I'd get a call. Though not for every one. Sometimes, it's not my turn."

"Sounds like a tough job."

"It can be. Sometimes you need to blow off steam, you know?"

"No, my job is pretty cushy that way."

"Because you only have one student? But what if that one student is a hellion?"

Amanda laughed. "That could happen, I guess. Zander is pretty easy to work with now, though."

"I always liked him," V. said. "In spite of what he had done. Now with his family here, he's pretty stable. His mom is one of the partners at Deception. She's even marrying Jasper Jax, have you heard that? His dad's company owns London Underground. A great place to go. Have you ever been there?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. I was at Oksana's on New Year's Eve. After midnight, Sergei invited us over."

"Are you doing anything? We could go over there now. For a little while."

Amanda looked doubtful for a minute. But V. seemed so reassuring and solid. She didn't imagine anything could go wrong. She said she'd drive herself, in case V. wanted to go off and do something else.

"Oh no," V. said. "I'm not going to do anything like that."

As they drove to the London Underground, V. pointed things out, just conversationally telling Amanda about things she had run into and how "that store got robbed," or "that street is used to be plagued by organized crime."

"This is nice of you," Amanda said. The tables at the London Underground were named after London Underground lines, decorated with a border of the same color and a map of the tube stations. Their table was for the Hammersmith line. The border was pink. V. read the names of the stops. Goldhawk Road, Latimer Road, Ladbroke Grove, Westbourne Park, Royal Oak.

"Have you ever been to London?" Amanda asked V.

"No, I'd like to, though. I've never been out of this country. Except once to some island. With your Dad's boss."

"Jasper Jacks. Really?"

V. told Amanda about some of her adventures.

"I didn't need a passport to get there," she said. "Jax flew us there. Maybe I was an illegal alien there."

Amanda laughed. "You could have been."

"Do you know Jax well?" V. asked.

"No, it's a big company."

"You know, we have something else in common," V. said.

"We do?"

"Something sad. I know about what it's like to lose a parent. My father died when I was 13."

"I'm so sorry," Amanda said. "What happened?"

"Sudden heart attack," V. said. "He was a cop. They said it was the stress."

"I bet your mother just hates you being a cop.'

"Oh yes," V. said. "Sometimes. But she knows I have more of a B type personality. My art keeps me grounded. She trusts me to be more careful than he was."

"You do art, too?"

"Yes. I even have an exhibit going on in one of the office buildings downtown. I'll take you down to it sometime, if you have time."

"That would really be nice," Amanda said.

"What happened to your mom?"

"My mother died of breast cancer," Amanda said.

"That's scary for you. Don't they even check you out for it?"

'Yes, I have to get annual mammograms already. Amy doesn't yet, but they recommend her starting early too, of course."

A guy came over and asked Amanda to dance. He said his name was Chad.

"Go ahead, I'll be fine," V. said. "I'll look around and see if any of the criminal element is present."

Amanda laughed again. "V. is a cop," she explained to Chad.

"I'm Chad Breyer, my brother's in the band that is playing, the guitar player. I could show you my driver's license."

V. just laughed and waved them away.

Amanda went out and danced. Dancing with a completely strange young man, in a club. America had a strange culture, she thought. This dance wouldn't cause her to know this young man one bit better. Just make her more familiar with his physical characteristics. Which weren't bad, not bad at all.

She felt more attractive herself, somehow, out here, free on the dance floor, associated, even if tentatively, temporarily and tenuously with this nice looking man. She looked around, noticing the décor, the red phone booths and mailboxes, pictures of double decked red buses, squares and greens and cool looking streets, with five-story row houses, the Beatles crossing Abby Road, other street scenes.

Zander and Jackson were sitting at the District line Table, with its green border.

"There's Amanda," Zander said.

Jackson looked over to see Amanda, dancing with a guy.

"Didn't know she had a boyfriend," he said.

"No, she's just dancing with that guy," Zander said. "If she had a boyfriend, I'd have heard of it by now."

"You and she talk?"

"Sometimes. Academic subjects can be hard to stick to. And she's a nice girl. I even met her father and her sister. Her mother died of cancer awhile back, I found out."

"I met the sister too, remember? But really, that's sad about their mother."

"She talks about her. About how hard it is to lose her. Once we were talking about people having kids, and she said something about how you don't know if you will always be around."

"You think she hesitates to have kids because of that? But that's not very realistic."

"Maybe not forever, but it's a block. She's never been dating anyone since I've known her, that's a long time now. I think maybe it has something to do with it. Not that she knows it. Just that she isn't past the issue of how to deal with that loss."

"You're quite the psychoanalyst."

"Yeah, I had to be psychoanalyzed myself. See, I lost my parents, but it was my choice. I was able to get them back again."

"You ran away from home, from what I've heard."

"Yes. My parents had a giant custody battle. Pete and I were in the middle of it."

"I was lucky. My parents are still married. Still living, too. In good health. Enjoying their grandchildren."

"How many do they have?"

"My brother James, the oldest, has two kids. That's all right now, but with nine of us, it could become quite a crowd someday."

"Big family reunions."

"Yes, well, I hope the Friels do, too, after all," Jackson was watching Amanda. "You know, you may be right. I never got any response out of Amanda."

"You mean you hit on her?"

"Yeah, never asked her out, because she doesn't seem to be interested."

"Try again," Zander suggested.

Jackson laughed. "You sound like my mother." But when the next song played, he went over and asked her.

Zander watched, wondering if he and Quinn were right, after all. Maybe Jackson and Amanda did like each other. He looked up to see Detective Ardanowski, holding a drink, smiling down at him.

"Hi," Zander said. "How are you, Detective? I wanted to talk to you. I have to tell you I'm really sorry about that Amy Friel incident."

"Oh, it's OK," V. said. "We at the Port Charles Police Department consider you a regular customer."

Zander smiled, seeing that she was joking. "Sit down," he said.

"Stuff happens," V. said. "You've really come a long way."

"I have to thank you for it, too," Zander said. "We had a dinner for the people who've helped my education, but it occurs to me I need another one. You and Alexis, Quinn and Joe. Made me get my family back. I know you were just doing your job, but, you've always been great about it."

V. laughed. "That would have to include Hannah Scott, and if you wanted to stretch it, Detective Taggart."

Zander smiled. "Taggs still think I'm the biggest threat to civilization?"

"He knows that there are bigger threats. At first he was worried about your Dad, believe it or not."

Zander laughed. "What, Russian mafia?"

"Yes, and he was pleasantly surprised that instead of bringing in Russian mafia, your Dad's investments seem to have driven the local mafia out."

"Where's Sonny these days?'

"Down on his island."

"That must leave Taggs a really boring job."

V. laughed. "It is a little dull sometimes," she said.

"Well, maybe I'll just regularly kidnap high school girls to keep him busy," Zander said. "Though now it's for educational trips. With any luck, in a couple of years, I'll be taking whole classes of high school kids out of town and Taggs can chase us."

"You do that," V. said.


	17. Sarah and Alexis

Sarah and Alexis were at the red-bordered Central Line table, listening to the Dissenters.

"The Dissenters do a different cover with every gig," Alexis said, during a break. "It is incredibly amusing. They don't repeat it. It comes out of the blue. _Midnight Rider_ was good, but I don't expect them to do it again. I wish they would."

"I think Yvonne's lyrics are sophisticated," Sarah said. "For someone as young as she is. What I can understand of them."

"You wouldn't believe how pretty her voice is," Alexis said. "I only know because of how she toned things down for Zander and Quinn's wedding. They played at that, because Valerie and Quinn are friends, and Valerie was the maid of honor. Quinn asked Yvonne to play at the wedding. Yvonne put her whole heart and soul into it, and did a great job. Now back to this. But I think Yvonne could do great if she would just - sell out."

"How long will that take?" Sarah grinned.

"A long, long, long, time," Alexis said.

"Who knows, maybe Yvonne's right," Sarah said. "Maybe you should stick to your instincts on things like this."

"I knew I wanted to be a lawyer when my parents thought it would be better to do other things," Alexis said. "I was right to stick by my feeling. I'm sure I'm happier."

"Then there's not just that," Sarah said. "There is specializing."

"You having a toss up on that?"

"Yes, and my parents are no help. They tell me to do what my gut says is right. And I'm still not sure."

"What are the choices?"

"Obstetrics and gynecology. Cancer surgery. There's a lot of good you can do either way. The doctors put it in this flattering light. You're good with your hands, so cancer surgery could use you. The ob/gyns say you're good with your hands, that'll help us with the high rate of malpractice suits in that field."

"There is a higher rate for ob/gyns, so I've read and heard."

"Right, so those doctors say, somebody with as steady hands as yours is needed in this field, because we get sued all the time, so we need the best."

"That is flattering."

"What would you do?"

"I'd be hung up. I'd personally like to be in on delivering babies because that's usually happy. Then I'd feel like a was doing more helping people with cancer. Having babies is natural, so I hope. Things go wrong less often, I would imagine. The higher lawsuit rate doesn't make sense, doe it?"

"No, or maybe it does because people expect it to turn out well, but with cancer they don't."

"Yeah, true. People with cancer get better than they expected if it goes well, people having babies expect it to go well."

"And the surgery is not the only part of cancer treatment - they aren't likely to blame it on the surgery, but on late diagnosis."

"But then it could be depressing. Though it would have more variety to it than obstetrics. Would all those babies being delivered get to seem alike?"

"Maybe not as much as it seems. I'm not sure yet. There is a lot of preventative care you can do, too, educate people to get mammograms and have pap smears taken. Help them with picking birth control methods. Minor, non-cancer related surgery."

"All women patients."

"That's true! Is that good or bad?"

"I don't know! Interesting, isn't it? With clients it doesn't seem to matter. Some women don't make good clients, they won't listen to me where they would listen to a man. Men, I figure if they hire me in the first place, they wouldn't be the type to think I'm inferior because of being a woman."

"I've heard something similar to that. You know, a woman doesn't think another woman is as good as a man. But for ob/gyn, you can have the same experiences. A man never can."

The band started playing again.

Looking around, Sarah noticed Allison sitting there. She was there with a man. Presumably her new husband.

Yvonne said over the microphone that she learned to sing in harmony from someone in the audience. She was going to try one song she used to harmonize with her. She wanted that person to come to sing it with her.

There was a flurry, and a woman went up. It was Allison.

Allison did have a very pretty voice, Sarah thought.

"See, there's the cover," Alexis said. It was _Southern Cross_. Yvonne explained briefly to the audience about how she liked that song because her family had gone sailing around Tonga when she was young.

"It gives me a perspective," Sarah said to Alexis. "He lived with her so long. All those years."

"You're already very patient with Duane," she said, kindly.

"And it would help if I were even more patient. Which does not go along with youth too well, does it? But I can do it if I want to."

"That's it. If you want to."


	18. Jackson and Amanda

As Amanda returned to her table, she was stopped. Suddenly there was the pilot, Jackson Delaney, asking her to dance.

She accepted, more automatically than thoughtfully. It was a slow dance, which made her feel all the more awkward. She saw Chad Breyer now, off by the bar, talking to an older woman.

"I came with our student," he said, indicating Zander.

"Oh, I'm glad he's taking a little time off. Where is Quinn?"

"At the hospital. Swing shift."

"Oh, I bet he's going to go over there on her break."

"That's nice they don't let that shift work keep them apart too much."

"No," Amanda said. "You have to work at odd hours, don't you?"

"I get a lot of weekend work."

She didn't say anything. She cast about in her head for something to say. "Is the one of your brothers, working at the bar?"

"Yes, Clay, he's the second youngest. You can tell?"

"I suppose, but I may have heard one of you was working there. It's more he reminds me of Matt than of you."

"Sometimes Matt comes in here, too. I think I've heard him mention it. Talking about the London Tube line, which we all know a little better than the average New Yorker."

"It gets me wanting to see London."

"I'd like to see it too. I'd like to fly over there, even though, in my plane, I'd have to make a lot of stops. It only has so much fuel."

"Where can you stop?"

"Canada, Greenland, Iceland. You have to make this Northern Tour."

Amanda laughed, and became very aware of his arms around her. She felt shy. "I guess it's a summer trip," was all she could think of to say.

"That's true," Jackson said. "You could do it in winter. But summer would be much better. For one thing, it would be dark almost all day up in those places in winter. If I'm going to fly over them, I'd like to see them."

"Yes, don't get me too curious," Amanda said. "Or Zander and I may think we have to go with you, to study geography."

He smiled. "You too can come any time. You're my favorite passengers."

"Until we got you caught up with the cops."

"Yes, I got interviewed on taking that minor unauthorized out of state."

"I'm sorry. It is I who did that."

"No, we all sort of cooperated."

She laughed.

"Hey," he said. "It was fun committing a kidnapping with you. What did you guys to do the Federal Reserve?"

"Zander asked the guide a lot of questions. So did Amy. I think that guide is still probably not recovered."

The song came to an end.

"Come, let me get you a drink," he said. "I'll get my brother to create the exact right thing for a teacher who just disturbed the Federal Reserve and the Port Charles Police."

She smiled. He took her hand. They walked hand in hand to the bar, which got her to feeling very odd. But in a pleasant way.


	19. Sarah at Duane's House

Sarah went over to Duane's house.

He smiled, and let her in. She felt a little better.

"I heard the band, over at London Underground. With Alexis."

"How were they?"

"Loud, mostly," she said.

He smiled.

"Yvonne even had her mother come onstage to sing with her."

"That's unusual. I've never seen Yvonne do that before."

"Valerie and Yvonne look like Allison," Sarah said. "At first glance. But looking at Yvonne more, I can see you in her, too."

"Do you look like either of your parents?" he said. He went out and got her a glass of wine. This pleased her. Between them, it meant, maybe he didn't think she would be driving away soon.

"No, my parents think I'm a throwback. They say I look like my maternal great grandmother. She had some Cheyenne blood."

"I can see that," he said, handing her the wine.

"Oh, really!" she smiled, taking a sip.

"Yes."

"Thank you for asking me here. I know it means something. I'm not sure what. I know I can't stay here. Yvonne could drop by."

"Yvonne rarely shows up. If she does, it's during the day."

"I felt bad you didn't call me. I just decided it was too immature to play around with who calls first, so I called you."

"You can call me anytime."

"You weren't going to call me? No, I'm sorry. That's immature. That's the last thing I want to be around you."

"I thought - after you said something at the airport, that you might not want to see me again."

"How could you think that?"

"You have no idea how insecure I am."

She stepped over to him and put her arms around him. "I can't think of anything I said that would get you to think that, baby."

"That phone call from Yvonne. I felt like you were realizing that - never mind. Now it just seems stupid. Immature, like you said. I don't think you need to worry about being the only one with that problem."

"I'm good for you, Duane. I can deal with your family. When Yvonne told the audience about the vacation, in the South Seas, sailing, and that she learned to harmonize from Allison, then it really hit me, how many years you were all together. How tough it is for all that to change for you."

"I didn't want it to," he said.

"I know," she said. "I know that."

"I didn't," Duane said. "But now I think it could have been all for the best."

"Thank you," she said, softly.

"Even going back as far as – running into Rick, got me thinking how long it's been. Then I wonder if I'm good for you."

"You are. I can't explain why, exactly. I need somebody smart, and confident."

"I'm not really doing as well on confident, as you might think."

"You're close. Not perfect, but close. All I need. Just don't let me go as long as you did, sometimes a girl needs to feel like she's being chased after."

He pulled her closer, and kissed her. "OK," he said. "You're right, you should have that."

"As to Rick Friel, I already dealt with him."

"What did he do that you had to deal with him?" Duane was suddenly defensive of her. He looked like he might go and deck Rick Friel.

This pleased Sarah greatly. "He was protecting you from gold digging younger women. It's OK. I handled him."

"I bet you did," he said, admiringly. He cradled her head with one of his hands, kissing her, holding her to him with the other arm. Things heated up.

"You want to go back to my place?" she said. "If you get caught away, you can always make up a lie about a deposition."

He smiled, kissed her again and said, "I think we're only stuck with going upstairs."

She smiled, and pulled open two of his shirt buttons. "Take me upstairs," she said.

The staircase was curved slightly. Sarah had a feeling of distance from the world, of romance. Some of the windows were open, and a spring breeze floated in. The house was quiet, and it made her feel dreamy.

He picked her up and put her on the bed. His bed. "Come here," she said, dreamily, kissing his chest with each button she undid. The room was in semi-darkness – starlight, some part of a streetlight, and moonlight streamed in. It felt like some other world with no one else in it.

Later, they were wrapped together, listening to the quiet. Then he started to get up. "I'm going to go set up the coffee for you so you only have to turn it on," he said.

"That's sweet of you," she said.

She found a lamp by the bed and turned it on at its lowest light, and lay back against the pillows.

She looked around, feeling peaceful and contented. The room was really luxurious. She could see into the bathroom; the shower was very big, and the room looked lavish. It occurred to her that at least she could say her older man was nothing like her father. She smiled to herself.

Jeff and Jennifer Webber would never have a house like this, even if they were doctors. They had a log house in Colorado, expensive perhaps, due to location, but simple in itself. When they had extra cash, they went to Bosnia. To help out in a war torn area.

That was OK, Sarah thought. It takes all kinds of people to make up the world, and the world would indeed be dull if everyone were alike. Her parents, Sarah thought, were good people, who had helped those unfortunate enough to be caught in the war and disorder in Bosnia for years. But neither of them would ever have thought of going down to set up the coffee pot for you.

Duane came back in. He had brought her a glass of ice water. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Thanks," she said, sipping. "Just how different people are, I guess."

"Different from who?"

"You're different from my family," she said. "Not worse, just different."

"Is that all right?"

"It is with me," she said. "I like it."

He got back into bed. She moved over and he put his arm around her. "This was nice," she said. "Really romantic. Thank you, Duane."

"I haven't run into you in the gym," he said, stroking her hair.

"I go there religiously at the same time every say," she said. "You must be going at different times."

"I have had to go later in the evening lately," he said.

"Don't be checking out the women there, then," she said.

"They're too young," he laughed. "_They're_ too young." He kissed her forehead, then her lips. She sighed, and snuggled close to him.


	20. Science and Art

Maureen and Jason were looking at condos.

Maureen was pleasantly excited. They'd talked over her moving into the Quartermaine mansion. But she liked this better. They planned to have room for Emily, too, so that she could get away from the hothouse atmosphere of the Quartermaine family.

"I found out that I owned that real estate along Kirk Road," he said. "Indirectly, through a trust."

Maureen laughed. "That gives that condo a plus," she said.

"It's a little further from the hospital," he said. They both worked at the hospital. She was a nurse and he was a pediatrician. "But no where in this town is really far from the hospital."

"You're sure you don't mind the Emily factor?" he asked, a little later.

"Not at all," she said. "It gives us practice, like having a pet."

He laughed and gave her a kiss.

Maureen had, since early on in their relationship, felt like she was dangerously far ahead of him, and feared that it could scare him away. It had taken her a little while to fall in love with him, but once she had, it was quick.

But in time she knew he felt the same way. So she could say that Emily was practice, because they knew deep down they would be together, and would have children together, and if they took it slow it was just to enjoy each step, and make the most of it.

To Maureen, it felt really good to just say what she thought, no longer worried that she looked like she was pushing too far ahead. And she knew that she would never have thought so far ahead regarding any other man. Whether she was thirty years old or not. In spite of what her mother said about things like that.

"What are you thinking?" he asked her. "Whatever it is, it sure makes you happy."

"I was just thinking – how my mother would be so cynical about us," she said. "My mother is one who plots and plans and schemes so much she doesn't have time to listen to her gut."

"I can't wait to meet this woman," he said. "She must be very interesting to observe."

"That's the spirit," she said, beaming at another assumption – that he'd meet her mother one day – "think of her in scientific terms."

Artistic rather than scientific terms were on discussion between Elizabeth and V., who were sketching in the boxcar. They had appropriated this space as their studio, and even given exhibits in it.

"You like drawing people." V. said to Elizabeth. "You could make a good courtroom sketch artist. Or a police sketch artist."

"Have you ever tried that? Sketch the suspect that someone describes?"

"Yes, I don't seem to have the patience. My detective mode takes over."

"Describe someone you know that I don't," Elizabeth said.

V. described her mother. Elizabeth sketched. "No, more sharpness in the chin," V. said. After a while, V. thought Elizabeth had sketched somebody who looked something like her mother.

"Try someone you don't know so well," Elizabeth said. "Like a witness would be more likely to be describing."

V. described Amy Friel.

"How's that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not bad," said V. "I think people would recognize her."

"It is kind of interesting. Is there much need for it here?"

"Not a whole lot, but when we do need someone, we have to get someone to come in from Buffalo. It would be a handy skill."

"Let's go down and see if there is anyone at the exhibit," Elizabeth said.

V. and Elizabeth had gotten some space, jointly, at an exhibit that would be in the lobby of one of the office buildings downtown. They loved going down there to watch people looking at their paintings.

Duane came down from his office to find that on the ground floor of his own building, there was an art exhibit up. This happened every once in awhile. But this time one of the artists' names caught his eye.

Unable to resist the curiosity, he went over to the works of Elizabeth Webber-Whitman. What a name. They were there in an apparent partnership of those of V. Ardanowski. The police detective who didn't care for her own first name. Which was fine, since her last name was enough of a mouthful.

There was a painting of an elderly man, looking back at some cars on a race track. The look in the old man's eyes, and his face, seemed to say that he had a thousand memories of racing. The painting was named, simply: _Joe Quinn_, and signed EWW.

_Dr. Webber_ was of an older man, in a white coat, leaning, on a chair, towards a very young patient. That must be her father.

A couple of landscapes. She was better at people, he thought. Another _Dr. Webber_, obviously her mother, an older lady. Probably in Bosnia, from the background. But the picture didn't say. It made Dr. Webber look pretty charitable though. She was obviously helping poor people of a war torn country. He thought Elizabeth was pretty talented to get that to show that much. Anyone who didn't know that Dr. Webber had been working in a war zone could tell from this picture, he thought. It wasn't just that he knew already.

He started to wonder about the elder Dr. Webbers. Though reassured they were older than he was, at least a good ten or fifteen years, he remembered Sarah saying, the idea of them still bothered him.

There was one called _Mo'ehno'ha_. So Elizabeth had painted Sarah's horse. Elizabeth was better at people than she was at horses, too, Duane decided. There was one called _Young Joe Quinn_. Comparing it to old Joe Quinn was interesting. Elizabeth had picked up on the inner essence of this person – you could see it in both portraits.

She had to have done a portrait of Sarah sometime.

Finally, he found it. _Young Dr. Webber_. She was wearing a skirt and blouse, looking at a chart.

V. Ardanowski had done the same portrait, interestingly enough.

"Well, what do you know, how's he here?" Elizabeth nudged V. "Looked at his damned expensive suit."

"His office is in this building," V. said. "He's a trial lawyer, of course he'd have a damned expensive suit."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Think he likes our Young Dr. Webbers?"

"He's pretty interested. But then, it may be personal, not artistic."

"I'll say. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind."

V. followed her thinking, "can't miss this."

"You know," Elizabeth said, without introduction or fanfare, "If you're ashamed of being seen with your girlfriend, why do you look at her picture in public? Somebody might notice."

"It's not that simple," he said, with the equanimity of one used to dealing with the unexpected. He had been so engrossed in the portraits that he hadn't seen V. and Elizabeth coming. Yet he responded immediately to Elizabeth's jibe.

Now he was staring her down, and Elizabeth looked a little like she might be realizing she had gotten more than she bargained for.

He looked at V., "Detective," he said, acknowledging her.

"This is Elizabeth," V. said to Duane. "She's a little protective, naturally."

"You got her face better," he said to V., then looking back at the two portraits of Sarah. "But Elizabeth got her hands better."

Elizabeth felt like someone had thrown cold water on her, and then, in a contradictory way, she felt like she was suddenly melting. She couldn't have explained it for the world. She still felt impatient with him. But that remark mollified her in a way she could not explain. She was out of ammunition for the moment.

"Thank you," was all she said.


	21. Zander's Cousin Irina

Tatiana Alenicheva lived in Yekaterinburg, in Russia. She had missed her daughter Irina during the two week trip Irina had made to the U.S. around the time of her cousin Aleksandr's wedding. Now, Tatiana was confronting an entire summer without Irina.

She feared more, too. Irina was way too impressed with America, thought Tatiana, who was growing to dislike America more and more, only because her ex husband Mikhail Yesatkin (Irina's father) had gotten to go and live there, because his sister had filed papers for him years and years ago when she had defected. His sister Oksana was a real pain in the neck, Tatiana thought. If she'd just stayed in the Soviet Union where she belonged, none of this would be happening to Tatiana now.

Oksana had been a figure skater of some renown, and could have been treated with the extra respect such people had received even in a communist country.

But some people were never satisfied.

It was tough to get a visitor's visa to go to the U.S. Everybody knew that. It was apparently especially tough if your daughter was there.

But Irina was home right now.

Tatiana's present husband, Ivan, said not to worry. It would all be a good opportunity for Irina.

Tatiana was sick and tired of hearing how great the opportunities were in America. Why was there so much more to do there? It made no sense. Irina went to school in Yekaterinburg. What was the big difference? The schools in America weren't even that good. Tatiana had heard this from Oksana herself, indirectly, through Irina. Oksana had sent her two sons, Aleksander and Peter, to special schools you spent extra money on. She had to pay a special tutor for Aleksander.

As for ice skating, Irina loved it, but Russia was the capital of figure skating. Though the one connection she had for Irina to get a good coach was Oksana's ex-husband (a man nobody knew, since Oksana had met him while training as a figure skater in Moscow. He had been her coach, and was much older than she, but for whatever reason, Oksana had married him, defected to the US with him and had Aleksander and Peter with him).

Tatiana tended to live in the moment. (Little did she know this made her an ideal American). She was a good looking woman. She made the most of it when she went to the consul to try to get a visitor's visa. If she could go over to America, she would be with Irinia, and she would find a way to get Ivan over. It had to be easier from there. Tatiana had heard that once you were there, it was easier.

She had heard via her ex husband Mikhail and the American lawyer who had helped them, one Alexis Davis, that it would be easier if Irina was not in the U.S. at the time Tatiana tried to get the visa. And if they made the trip to the U.S. separately.

Tatiana was going to try for it. She thought it was absurd that she would have to travel to the U.S. herself, and then 11-year-old Irina would have to travel alone, but apparently the U.S. immigration people would assume she was going to overstay her limit if she was with her daughter. The logic of this escaped Tatiana and added to her opinion that Americans were crazy.

It took at least 30 pages of paperwork and hours of standing in line just to get an interview.

"This country better be heavenly," she thought.

So she dressed in a low cut black dress and wore her dark, hooded jacket. With what she had heard about American men, this seemed to be the best alternative. She hoped the interviewer would not happen to be a woman.

The consul was a man, fortunately. He interviewed Tatiana at length. He asked the most personal questions. Tatiana just smiled and answered them brightly. She could tell what he was getting at.

Her job, what it was, how long she'd been at it, how easily she could replace it. Her husband, how long they had been married, and how happy they were.

Her daughter, how close she was to her daughter, and was her daughter in the U.S.

"No," said Tatiana, truthfully.

The consul said he did not trust her not to return.

What did they think their country was made of? Tatiana thought. But she smiled, not fuming.

"Of course I don't want to stay there," she said. "My husband, my parents, my daughter, my job, my house, they are all here. I just want to go there to see the sights. New York, the Statute of Liberty. I want to see the Grand Canyon."

"No one you know who can vouch for your finances there?"

"My former sister in law. She has lived there many years. Why would I go without money?"

"To get a job."

"My job is here."

Reluctantly, he said he would give her a one time entry visa. It would be good for the next two weeks.

Tatiana felt like she had just earned a degree.

She called Mikhail and told him she wanted to come and see where Irina would be living.

Mikhail didn't have a problem with that, though he was truly amazed that she had the visa. He didn't even believe her. "I'll believe it when I see you here," was what he said. "But if you get here, you'll see how good it would be for Irina."

"Yes, yes," she said. "But it is best for a child to be with her mother."

"Or with her father," he said, testily.

"Yes, that is good, too," Tatiana said, soothingly.


	22. V Gets a Date

Chad Breyer had worked all day at McKinley Engineering. He went down the to London Underground, which was becoming a hang-out of his. He struck up a friendship with Clay and Mikhail, the bartenders. He didn't tell them his brother was in the band, knowing that Toby wanted people to think they were getting an audience that wasn't just friends and relatives.

Just recently, Chad had met Toby's new girlfriend, Taryn, who finally celebrated her 18th birthday. Toby had a party for her, and that included her mother, Patti, who worked at McKinley, like Chad. The four of them talked over what a small world it could be sometimes.

The party was at the Port Charles Hotel, and included Taryn's friends Elizabeth and Sarah. Elizabeth was actually Patti's sister-in-law, and Sarah was Elizabeth's sister. Then there was Wylie, the drummer in the band, with his girlfriend, Emily, and Ian and Yvonne, the rest of the band, being the bass player and the guitarist/songwriter/lead singer.

Chad's parents were divorced. This had occurred as soon as Toby had graduated, as if the Breyers had just been waiting for their younger son to grow up. Chad knew both of his parents had been concerned about the girlfriend. They had not met Taryn, but knew she was underage.

So it was a great relief to celebrate Taryn's 18th birthday.

"How's the engineering business going today?" Clay asked Chad now, as Chad went up to the bar for a drink.

"It's there," Chad said. "How's bartending?"

"Busy," Clay said. "Can't wait to get off. I'm waiting for Mikhail. He's always on time, fortunately."

"Others aren't?"

"No," Clay said. "Or we had all these part time people. But Mikhail is full time and he sure is dedicated. It's like he thinks working here is the greatest thing. And yet he's an engineer. It's just that his English isn't that good yet."

"Really, he's an engineer?" Chad asked. "Wow. That's cool. When he learns English, he should try for a job at McKinley."

Patti Polk came over to the bar. "Patti, I'd have given you a ride here if I'd known!" Chad said.

"Oh, no problem, Chad," Patti said. "I'm taking taxis, these days. I'd rather do that than fool with that old car."

Another voice piped in. "A glass of white wine, Clay," said Detective V. Ardanowski.

"Hi, V.," Clay said. "Here to arrest anyone?"

"No," V. said. "Just blowing off steam. I need a date to a wedding. Hey, maybe I can get you to go. You probably have to work."

"Chad here might be a little young for you," Patti said. "But maybe he'll go. Whose wedding?"

"Jasper Jax and Oksana Kanishcheva," V. said. "When it came to something like this, I used to get Jax to go with me," she went on. "But here, I don't think that'll do."

Everyone laughed. "Hey, maybe - your brother, the one who gave me a ride home," Patti said to Clay.

"Matt," said Clay.

"Yes, the teacher," Patti said. "He's a little young, too. But he's a teacher, and so he works regular hours, and he can probably make the wedding."

"Give me your card," Clay said, "And I'll ask him."

"Gee, thanks, Clay," V. said. "You're a full service bartender. Tell him I'm an oldie but goodie."

"Oldie but goodie, check," Clay said.

"If he won't do it, I will," Chad said. "Really, I will. You're older than me, but - good."

They laughed at this. "You're a great guy, Chad," Patti said. "Don't let any girl tell you different. Well, see you guys. I have to get home. My ex is picking up the kids. Weekend visitation. You don't know about that now. But maybe someday you will."

"Hey what's your name?" V. asked. "You found me a date, I should thank you."

Patti laughed and told her.

"Here's to Patti," V. said, lifting her glass of white wine.

"To Patti," they all said.


	23. Alexis and Dara Deal

Alexis and Taryn were scheduled for a meeting with the prosecutor, Dara Jenson, at Dara's office.

Dara was a deputy D.A. She read the file to review the facts before the meeting.

The Defendant was one crazy girl, she thought.

The police, on the other hand, were crazy too. And so was her boss, the D.A.

Taryn Polk was charged with DUI. She had undeniably been intoxicated. But she had only moved a stalled car off of the railroad tracks and managed, thereby, to avoid a train hitting it.

When Alexis Davis and Taryn arrived, Dara stood up and greeted them both.

"Got yourself in a little trouble, I see," Dara said, conversationally, to Taryn.

"I guess," Taryn said, sheepishly.

"Did you get my memo on the necessity defense?" Alexis Davis asked Dara.

"Yes, it's interesting," Dara said. "But I don't think it applies, because the necessity came about due to your client's fault."

"But there was no damage," Alexis said. "In fact, Taryn's actions prevented the damage. The defense applies when the defendant has a reasonable belief that her actions were necessary and there was no alternative that would have caused lesser harm. It is like running a stop light if the passenger in your car has a medical emergency. Or someone trespassing when they are seeking shelter from a storm. Choice of the lesser evil. No damage from the drunk driving and it prevented the greater damage when the train hit the car."

"This is more like the case where a driver knows he has defective brakes and swerves to avoid a pedestrian and runs into a shop window," Dara countered.

"You'd have to show Taryn knew the car was likely to stall," Alexis said. "A lot of trouble for the D.A.'s office to go to over this. You'd have to get Taryn's mother on the stand to testify that Taryn knew, not a likely thing, I would think."

Taryn's stomach dropped four feet at the reference to prosecuting her parents.

"The town might prefer you spend time prosecuting people who went to parties and then drove drunk, rather than pushing a case like this," Alexis went on. "Bad publicity. I've already heard people laughing over the article in the Port Charles Gazette about this case. Taryn was not the adult owner of the car and responsible for its upkeep. Are you going to prosecute her parents for not doing proper maintenance on the car? That may not even be a criminal offense. And in the case you cited, the shop window gets damaged. This is no damage."

"I can see how this can get complicated," Dara said. Taryn breathed a sigh of relief. So Alexis was not crazy. She was just getting Dara to see how complicated it could become. This was confirmed when Dara said, "What if she pleads to reckless driving?"

"She wasn't driving recklessly," Alexis said. "Drunk or not."

"She was driving under the influence and reckless is a lesser charge with a lesser penalty."

"But if the necessity defense holds she could be acquitted. What about as you proposed but agree that it goes down as a juvenile offense?"

"She's charged as an adult," Dara said. "She's driving, remember?"

"Put it down as yet something else," Alexis said. "Something non-driving. The penalty can be the same."

"OK," Dara said. "Disturbing the peace, a juvenile charge."

Taryn breathed easier.

"OK, what should the penalty be, young lady?" Dara said to Taryn.

"As long as I can do it without my mother finding out," Taryn said. "She's going through a divorce and I don't want her to have to deal with this. So anything other than jail time."

Dara looked down, amused. "How about six months of Level 5 probation and 50 hours of community service?"

Taryn looked like she was ready to agree. This was much better than she'd hoped for.

"Not that many hours," Alexis said. "20 hours."

Dara smiled. "All right."

"Level 5 probation doesn't require any reporting to an officer, Taryn. It will be lifted after the six months so long as you don't re-offend. And you log all the community service hours."

"No problem. I'll do it. Where do I do the service?"

"Somewhere involving drinking," Dara said. "And I'll be happy."

"OK, how about the program downtown for recovering alcoholics?" Alexis said. "They can tell Taryn all the terrible things that happened to them and she'll learn from it."

"That's good," Dara said. "Let's go into court and put this plea agreement on the record."


	24. Taggart Meets Some Girls

Mary Ellen Delaney often went in to observe what was going on in the courthouse. When she saw the name of Taryn Polk, the case she had already reported on, she was curious and went to that courtroom. Maybe there would be an update.

She watched as Judge Wentworth took the plea from the Defendant.

Interesting, Mary Ellen thought. She decided she would put Taryn's name in the paper, since Taryn was now over 18. She went back to the _Port Charles Gazette_ office to put the story in.

After work, Mary Ellen went to the London Underground to meet her sisters, Colleen and Melinda. They sat at the purple Picadilly Line Table and drank mai tais.

Detective Taggart was there with a couple of other detectives. When he saw Mary Ellen, he went over to her table.

"I saw your article on the train-track clearing Defendant," Taggart said to Mary Ellen. "It was a masterpiece. Why do you all find that incident so interesting?"

"It's just such an odd thing to happen," Mary Ellen said. "I actually just did a follow up article on it. The D.A. must not have thought it was a good DUI case, or why would she have had Ms. Polk plead to disturbing the peace?"

Taggart sat down. "I guess there was some problem with a defense that she had to do it," he said. "Or the train would have smashed the car."

"And she only drove those few feet," Colleen put in.

"It's a strange case," Taggart conceded. "Not very routine."

"That's what I liked about it," Mary Ellen said. "Just shows the things people can get themselves into. We haven't gotten any letters to the editor on it yet, though. By the way, these are my sisters." She introduced Taggart to Colleen and Melinda. Mary Ellen told Taggart that Colleen was a counselor and Melinda was a divorce lawyer.

"Full service family," Taggart said. "Whatever you need, to go a sibling. A lawyer, a counselor and a reporter."

"Melinda has made referrals to me," Colleen said. "Divorce is tough. Have you ever been through it?"

"No," Taggart said. "But then I've never been married."

"That'll keep you out of divorce court," Melinda observed. "I was stuck there once, and as a result, Colleen and Mary Ellen learned what can happen if you make the wrong moves."

"Let me buy you all a drink," Taggart said.

"We have a brother who is the bartender here," Mary Ellen quipped, "So our family gives that service too."

"Which may be the most useful one," Colleen added.

"I'm pretty sure you're right," Taggart said. "Now that I know you have a brother here, it means I'll have to behave myself."

"Oh, you're such a gentleman, Detective," Mary Ellen said. "Always have been."

"Well, thank you," Taggart said, getting up. When he came back, they all toasted to "staying out of divorce court."

They talked for awhile. Taggart and Melinda both knew some court personnel, and Taggart teased Colleen about counseling ne'er do wells to help them get out of jail. Colleen just teased him back about how cops had such a negative view and that some people could be saved, and Taggart said she was one of those hopelessly naive and idealistic do-gooders. Colleen just laughed.

They all had a great time.


	25. At A Baseball Game

Branwyn and Kara sat in the bleachers at a baseball game between Mercy High School and a rival High School. Branwyn was looking at the letters she had received for the advice column she wrote for the school newspaper, in between appearances of one or the other of their boyfriends at the plate.

Kara had a copy of the _Port Charles Gazette_. The article about her was in it.

Branwyn read that over, too. "This is great, Kara," she said. "It shows how you bounced back after a bump in the road."

"Yes," Kara said. "I don't want to come across as such a goody-two shoes, though."

"I don't think you do," Branwyn said. "It's an inspiring story. And it's not over. Hey, do you want to go and look at prom dresses on Saturday?"

"Yeah, I thought you'd never ask," Kara said.

Peter was at the plate, bat in hand.

"Don't they look cute in those uniforms," Branwyn said.

"Yeah," Kara said, just happy. "And so intent on watching the ball."

Peter took two balls and a called strike. The next time, he hit the ball.

Kara and Branwyn were up on their feet without thinking.

The hit was a line drive into center field.

"Nice, clean hit," said someone else in the stands.

Peter stood on first base.

The next Mercy High batter struck out. But during the at ball, Peter stole second.

Jeremy came up to bat.

"Go Jeremy! Drive Pete in!" Branwyn yelled.

Kara laughed. Peter looked up at them from second and smiled.

The girls ended up on their feet again as Jeremy hit another single, enough to get Peter to home plate.

"Wow, today was really worth coming for," Branwyn said.

Kara smiled. "It's always worth coming for," she said.

"It was so sweet, I thought, when Peter came to the volleyball game the other day," Branwyn said.

"Still in his baseball uniform," Kara said, looking off into space, smiling.

"Are you going to wear that scarf on your head to the prom?" Branwyn asked, looking at her cousin. "I see your hair peaking out. It'll have grown some more by then."

"It will still be awful short. And I don't think I look that great in short hair."

"Maybe we can get you some help. Styling, you know, short hair can be really cool."

"I don't know what to do," Kara confessed. "I was thinking a fancy turban."

"Naw, how about a crown?"

"Real funny," Kara said.

"A wig? Weren't a couple of the ones they brought you pretty realistic looking?"

"I don't know, I hate that idea so much," Kara said. She thought for a moment. "I could be a blonde," she said then. "Or a redhead."

"If you look good blonde, you could even color your hair."

"I'm not into stuff like that," Kara said. "I don't have the time."

"Yeah," Branwyn said. "I don't think I'd bother with that kind of stuff, either."

Branwyn looked through her letters as a series of uninteresting batters came to the plate. "Hey, Kara, listen to this," she said.

Dear Branwyn. I am dating two guys. One knows, the other does not. Now they run into each other a lot. They sort of work in the same place. How do I tell the one who doesn't know? Just come out and say it? Break it one step at a time? Sincerely, Torn Between Two Lovers.

"Wanna bet on who wrote that?" Branwyn asked.

"I don't think Taryn would do that," Kara asked.

"Yes, she's not the type to look for advice, at least, not this way," Branwyn said.

"Maybe there is actually someone else in the same boat?" Kara asked.

"Hmmm," Branwyn said. "Maybe."

"Or do you think someone wrote it for Taryn?"

"Who would do that? Oh, wait. Jeremy."

"Now why would he do that, Branwyn?"

"Either as a joke, or -"

"No, Bran," Kara said.

"So how should I answer this?" Branwyn said. "I know. Dear Torn: If you are truly torn, tell them both. Then let them sort it out. If you're not, let the one you don't want go."

"Wise advice," Kara said.

"Which means Taryn won't heed it," Branwyn said. "How about I take him up on the joke and say ask your old boyfriend?"

"You can't do that in the school paper," Kara said. "Besides, you don't know that Jeremy did this."

Branwyn shrugged. "I'm going to put it in, though, with that answer." She looked up at Jeremy.He was running off the field, since after his other teammate had made an out, into the dugout to get ready to go to the outfield.

Branwyn studied him, her forehead wrinkled. Kara smiled and watched the team going back out onto the field to play defense.


	26. Sean Monroe Makes Progress

At the London Underground bar, Sean Monroe was drinking a beer and looking at a file. Clay Delaney served him, turning away with a smirk, which was the same thing he did to Toby Breyer. Clay knew things both of these men didn't. About their women.

Sean looked around for Skye as he usually did. She must make efforts to avoid him, because before, it had been easy to run into her at the London Underground. Sure enough, he saw her come out of Sergei's office and see him and them change course.

He rolled his eyes and took a swig of beer.

His general plan was playing it cool. She had rejected him so thoroughly that it was justified. Let her make the next move.

But then, she was at the bar asking for her usual iced tea from Clay.

It had been awhile, and Sean wondered. Hot tempered women, he knew, could hold a grudge for weeks, but then calm down, and wonder what it had all been about. She would say she just wanted an iced tea and that she wasn't going to let his presence prevent her.

But it was also possible that she was cooling off.

Clay was rather poker faced as he brought Skye the iced tea. Sean pretended to be absorbed in his file. Clay and Skye had a torrid affair going, in their spare time.

"Who are you planning to rip off now?" Skye asked.

Sean tried not to show his delight. She had spoken to him and spoken to him first. That remark had to be directed to him and no one else.

"This is about justice," he said.

Skye laughed and pretended to choke on her tea.

Clay smiled to himself. He looked at Skye and winked at her.

"You think just because someone retains my firm, they're guilty?" Sean asked.

Skye was stuck. She had once retained that firm, and Sean, to defend her when she had backed her car up outside this very bar, and run into and injured several people.

"I was guilty," she said then, contritely. "So, maybe, yeah."

"Not everyone is," Sean said. "And you were guilty, but the law only allowed so much punishment."

"The law was the least of the punishment," she said.

"Yeah, I can identify," he said. "There's a punishment for some things that aren't even against the law."

He said this with an injured air that took Skye aback. Cautious, though, knowing he did nothing without thinking of its effects, she said, "I'm just glad you think so," referring, as he knew she would be, to his adventures with another woman, which adventures Skye had discovered. "I would have thought you'd have just gone on your merry way."

"So would I have," Sean said. "But I miss you just the same."

Skye walked off then, muttering about having work to do.

Sean congratulated himself on the progress he had made.


End file.
